Conceptualization and Management of Suicide Risk in Individuals with a History of Traumatic Brain Injury

AI Summary

TBI increases functional impairment, psychiatric symptoms, and suicide risk; routine suicide prevention is essential in TBI care.
Structured screening informs risk assessment and interventions such as safety planning and lethal means counselling, adapted for TBI communication needs.
Evidence for TBI-specific suicide interventions is limited; rigorous, generalisable trials are urgently needed.

Phys Med Rehabil Clin N Am. 2027 Feb;38(1):211-227. doi: 10.1016/j.pmr.2026.08.012. Epub 2026 Oct 9.

ABSTRACT

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is associated with greater functional impairment, psychiatric symptoms, and suicide risk. Routine suicide prevention efforts are essential for TBI care. Screening supports risk assessment and guides steps such as safety planning and lethal means counseling. Risk management should be adjusted for TBI sequelae by using direct language, visual aids, relating questions to TBI symptoms, and obtaining collateral information. Research on suicide interventions specific to TBI remains limited, with few targeted trials and primarily small, non-generalizable samples, underscoring the need for rigorous evaluation of interventions for this population.

PMID:43025919 | DOI:10.1016/j.pmr.2026.08.012

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