What it means
Most often heard in suicidal ideationsoo-ih-SY-dul eye-dee-AY-shunThinking about, considering or planning suicide.Full entry , thinking about or planning suicide, and homicidal ideation, thinking about killing someone. Ideation ranges from passing thoughts ("I wish I weren't here") to a detailed plan, and the nurse asks enough to tell where on that range a client is.
For the nurse
Ask directly and in plain words: "Are you thinking about killing yourself? Do you have a plan?" Asking does not put the idea in someone's head. A client with a plan and the means needs constant observation and immediate reporting.
At a glance
| Also written | ideations |
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Related terms
suicidal ideation
Thinking about, considering or planning suicide.
hopelessness
A feeling that things will not get better and that nothing a person does can change that.
psychiatric
Relating to psychiatry, the branch of medicine that diagnoses and treats mental illness.