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IS PATH WARM? is an
acronym An acronym is a type of abbreviation consisting of a phrase whose only pronounced elements are the initial letters or initial sounds of words inside that phrase. Acronyms are often spelled with the initial Letter (alphabet), letter of each wor ...
utilized as a
mnemonic A mnemonic device ( ), memory trick or memory device is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval in the human memory, often by associating the information with something that is easier to remember. It makes use of e ...
device. It was created by the
American Association of Suicidology The American Association of Suicidology (AAS) is a 501(c)(3) organization, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization which advocates for suicide prevention. It was established in 1968 by Edwin S. Shneidman, who has been called "a pioneer in suicide preven ...
to help counselors and the general public "remember the warning signs of suicide."


The acronym


Predictive value

Reviews from the psychiatric literature regarding the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic have been mixed. Several studies have confirmed that some of the acronym's warning signs are associated with
suicidal ideation Suicidal ideation, or suicidal thoughts, is the thought process of having ideas or ruminations about the possibility of dying by suicide.World Health Organization, ''ICD-11 for Mortality and Morbidity Statistics'', ver. 09/2020MB26.A Suicidal i ...
. A study compared 215 postings on an online "suicide forum" with 94 postings on a "
self-injury Self-harm refers to intentional behaviors that cause harm to oneself. This is most commonly regarded as direct injury of one's own skin tissues, usually without suicidal intention. Other terms such as cutting, self-abuse, self-injury, and s ...
forum". They found that posters in the 'suicide forum' were more likely than those in the 'self-injury forum' to express suicidal ideation, purposelessness, feeling trapped, and social withdrawal. (However, they were less likely than those in the self-injury forum to express recklessness.) The study concluded that individuals who exhibit "IS PATH WARM" warning signs were more likely to have suicidal ideation. However, the psychiatric literature has been critical of the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic's value in predicting suicidal ''behavior''. A
white paper A white paper is a report or guide that informs readers concisely about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. Since the 199 ...
prepared for the United States Fire Service's ''Suicide and Depression Summit'' stated that the acronym's "utility has been hampered by both limited sensitivity and weak specificity." A 2011 study was also critical of "IS PATH WARM"'s validity, finding that none of the ten warning signs were able to predict completed suicides. According to a review of school-based
suicide prevention Suicide prevention is a collection of efforts to reduce the risk of suicide. Suicide is often preventable, and the efforts to prevent it may occur at the individual, relationship, community, and society level. Suicide is a serious public healt ...
, an additional concern is that the IS PATH WARM warning signs were based on risk factors for
suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...
that appear across the lifespan. Having not been evaluated independently for youth, the author writes, the acronym's value in predicting suicidal behavior in children is uncertain.


Educational value

In creating the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic, one of the American Association of Suicidology's stated goals was to aid the general public in learning and recalling the
warning signs of suicide The warning signs of suicide have been noted by groups which have analyzed or studied cases to determine predictors of suicidal actions. Factors associated with suicide Certain factors are known to be associated with increased risk of suicide, w ...
. The Society's "IS PATH WARM" webpage explains: "These warning signs were compiled by a task force of expert clinical-researchers and 'translated' for the general public." As an educational tool, "IS PATH WARM" has received widespread exposure. For example, it has been disseminated in suicide prevention materials from such diverse sources as the
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA; pronounced ) is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). SAMHSA is charged with improving the quality and availability of treatment and rehabilitati ...
's
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline in the United States, or Suicide Crisis Helpline in Canada, and formerly known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, is a suicide prevention and crisis help line to a network of a large number of crisis ce ...
; the
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP)/L'Association canadienne pour la prevention du suicide (ACPS) was established in 1985. It is a non-governmental organization which brings attention to the problem of suicide in Canada and advocate ...
; the
New York State Department of Correctional Services The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (NYSDOCCS) is the department of the New York State government that administers the state prison and parole system, including 42 prisons funded by the state government. New ...
Training Academy; and the
United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
, among many others. Research regarding whether the mnemonic achieves its educational goals has been limited. However, a 2009 study compared two groups of airmen participating in the
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
Suicide Prevention Program (AFSPP). One group received the Program's standard briefing, which did not include "IS PATH WARM", while the other received the standard briefing along with information about the mnemonic. The researchers concluded:
Participants in the standard briefing significantly increased their ability to list suicide warning signs and improved consistency with an expert consensus list, whereas participants in the standard briefing plus mnemonic demonstrated no learning. ... Results suggest that inclusion of the mnemonic in the AFSPP briefing interfered with participants' ability to learn suicide warning signs, and that increased confidence in the perceived ability to recognize suicide risk is not related to actual ability to accurately recall warning signs.
In summary, the limited research available regarding the educational utility of the "IS PATH WARM" mnemonic shows a negative impact on ability to recognize warning signs for suicide, combined with a mistaken sense of confidence in one's ability to do so.


See also

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Assessment of suicide risk Suicide risk assessment refers to the process of evaluating an individual's likelihood of dying by suicide. While commonly practiced in psychiatric and emergency care settings, suicide risk assessments lack predictive accuracy and do not improve cli ...
*
Beck Hopelessness Scale The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) is a 20-item self-report inventory developed by Dr. Aaron T. Beck that was designed to measure three major aspects of hopelessness: feelings about the future, loss of motivation, and expectations.Beck A.T. (1988). ...
*
SAD PERSONS scale The SAD PERSONS scale is an acronym utilized as a mnemonic device. It was first developed as a clinical assessment tool for medical professionals to determine suicide risk, by Patterson et al. The Adapted-SAD PERSONS Scale was developed by Gerald ...


References

{{Medical mnemonics Medical mnemonics Mnemonic acronyms Suicide