Aisel is a clinical operating system designed for psychiatric and psychology clinics. It automates intake, documentation, billing codes, and EHR synchronisation while keeping clinical judgement in control.

Is Aisel GDPR compliant?

Yes, Aisel is fully GDPR compliant, ensuring the highest standards of data security and patient privacy for European healthcare providers.

How does Aisel improve intake completion rates?

Aisel uses AI to transform complex intake forms into natural patient conversations, achieving 88% completion rates before first consultations.

How is the C-SSRS Screener scored?

There is no summed total. Risk is triaged by the pattern of yes/no responses: ideation involving method, intent or plan, or behaviour in the past three months, indicates high risk; earlier-level ideation indicates moderate or low risk.

Why is there no C-SSRS questionnaire on this page?

Because the instrument is copyrighted by Columbia University and the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene, and electronic reproduction requires permission. The official forms and free training are available at cssrs.columbia.edu.

What free alternatives are there?

The ASQ is in the public domain and was developed by the NIMH for medical and emergency settings. The SBQ-R is free to reproduce with attribution and gives a graded adult total.

Licensed instrument

C-SSRS Screener: scoring, cutoffs & interpretation

Licensed six-question suicide risk triage. Information only - not available to complete here.

Use these instead

ASQAsk Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ)SBQ-RSuicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised

02 - The clinician's brief

Last reviewed: 13 August 2026 · Reviewed by Lotte Kjær Svalberg

01 - What it measures

What this scale measures.

The screen version of the C-SSRS asks six yes/no questions: five that step through increasing severity of suicidal ideation over the past month - from a wish to be dead through active ideation with method, intent, and plan - plus one question about lifetime and recent (past three months) suicidal behaviour.

Later questions are only asked if earlier ones are endorsed. It can be administered by clinicians or non-clinicians and takes one to two minutes.

02 - Scoring & cutoffs

How scoring works.

There is no summed total. Risk triage follows the response pattern rather than a score.

Ideation at the level of method, intent or plan (questions 4-5), or suicidal behaviour in the past three months, indicates high risk requiring an immediate clinical response. Earlier-level ideation (questions 1-3) indicates moderate or low risk warranting clinical follow-up. Any positive response merits a fuller risk assessment.

The table below is interpretation guidance for a completed administration; it is not a scorable form.

Score

Severity

Interpretation

1–3

Moderate / low risk

Ideation at questions 1-3 (wish to be dead, non-specific active thoughts, thoughts of method without intent). Clinical follow-up and a fuller risk assessment are warranted.

4–5

High risk

Ideation at questions 4-5 (active ideation with some intent, or with a specific plan and intent). Immediate clinical response required.

6–6

High risk - behaviour

Any suicidal behaviour, with behaviour in the past three months indicating high risk. Immediate clinical response required.

03 - Validation evidence

How well it performs.

Initial validity and internal consistency for the C-SSRS were established across three multisite studies with adolescents and adults (Posner et al., 2011).

04 - Licensing, explained

How licensing works.

The C-SSRS is copyrighted by Columbia University and The Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene. It is available free of charge for use in community and healthcare settings and for nonprofit research through the Columbia Lighthouse Project (cssrs.columbia.edu), which also provides free training.

Reprints and electronic reproduction or integration require permission from the developers (Kelly Posner's office, New York State Psychiatric Institute). That is why this page explains the instrument and its interpretation rather than reproducing the questions.

Common questions from clinicians

FAQ

References

Source literature.

[1]Posner K, Brown GK, Stanley B, et al. The Columbia–Suicide Severity Rating Scale: initial validity and internal consistency findings from three multisite studies with adolescents and adults. American Journal of Psychiatry. 2011;168(12):1266–1277 (2011)

Related scales

Instruments clinicians often use alongside this one

suicide

ASQ

Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ)

Brief NIMH-developed suicide risk screen for medical and clinical settings.

Open scale

suicide

SBQ-R

Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised

Four-item self-report screen of suicidal ideation and behaviour.