Pathos - Self-Harm Assessment

This is a 5-question screening instrument used to identify high risk adolescents (ages 13-18 years) when they present with an overdose. Development of this instrument was based on the finding that adolescents' statements about suicide intent was a poor predictor of their subsequent actions.¹ Research suggests that by considering such factors as the degree of depression, hopelessness, premeditation, problem duration and previous overdose history, it is possible to give a more accurate prediction of an individual's risk. The PATHOS instrument was able also to identify a high-risk group with a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 57%. All misclassifications were false positive. It is suggested that the instrument could be used as an aid for non-psychiatric assessors.²
Recent work has somewhat counteracted the argument that statement of intent is a poor predictor of suicide but this does not detract from the use of the instrument as an independent predictor of risk.³