Educational draft · awaiting clinical reviewUse Rapid for revision, not patient-care decisions. Check current national and local guidance and the BNF or BNFC before acting.
2 min synopsisUK scopeSources checked 27 Aug 2026Clinical review pending
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Current plan cannot contain danger
Present intent, accessible lethal means, inability to delay action, psychotic commands, severe agitation, intoxication or collapse of accommodation and support requires emergency containment rather than a written community plan alone.
Action: Treat physical illness, remove immediate means where safe, create continuous proportionate observation and obtain urgent mental-health assessment. Use emergency services when the current setting cannot maintain safety, protect dependants and document capacity, information sharing and legal authority.
Synopsis
Convert a depression-specific suicide formulation into a usable collaborative plan, reduce access to relevant means, provide active follow-up through high-risk transitions and escalate when current intent or impairment makes community planning unreliable.
Build the plan with the person in their language and preferred format, involving a chosen supporter with consent when that is safe and helpful.
List personal warning signs such as withdrawal, searching methods, drinking, stopping sleep, medicine stockpiling or psychotic guilt.
Agree internal actions that create time, then safe distraction, specific supporters, professional contacts and emergency services in a graded sequence.
Key red flags
Acquiring medicines or weapons, researching lethality, writing final messages, arranging affairs or avoiding discovery indicates preparation even when current intent is denied.
Investigation priorities
01
Scenario and warning-sign mapFirst step
Connect foreseeable suicide behaviour to triggers, means, timeframe and personally observable escalation.
Management branches
Build safety planMove from early signs to emergency help
The person can collaborate and immediate danger is contained enough for planning.
Define personal warning signs and internal coping actions that create time, then add safe distraction and specific supportive people.
List professional and emergency contacts in escalating order and verify availability, communication and transport.
National guidance is shown before implementation-dependent detail. Typical adult dose examples remain subject to patient factors, contraindications and the live BNF or specialist protocol. Source check completed 27 Aug 2026; clinical approval remains outstanding.