Suicidal Evaluation: The DEAD PIMP Assessment

It’s a difficult situation that just about every EMS provider has been faced with at some point. Someone, somewhere thinks a friend or loved-one wants to commit suicide and they call 911. You arrive on scene to find a healthy looking patient who is adamant that they have no desire to harm themselves or anyone else. They don’t want to go with you. And now, you’re faced with a challenging evaluation. This is a situation that experienced mental health professionals can find difficult. You have very little mental health training and you’re being asked to make a complex prediction about the potential future behavior of a person whom you’ve never met. What’s an EMT to do? Thomas Dunn is in a unique position to talk to EMS providers about evaluating patients with potential mental illness. Thom is an active paramedic in downtown Denver, Colorado who routinely works shifts on a busy urban ambulance. He’s also a clinical psychologist who evaluates and treats patients’ at Denver Health Medical Center. Thom’s dual specialty makes him a rare specialist in human psychology as it applies to EMS providers. When he talks, EMS providers listen…and so should you. To help with this challenging potential suicide evaluation, Thom has come up with a fantastic acronym (in his unique paramedic style) to help remember what questions you might want to ask to determine the patients true risk of committing suicide. All of these elements influence the patient’s likelihood...
Source: The EMT Spot - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: EMT Source Type: blogs