Event overview
We welcome Dr Dorian Lamis, Emory University, to talk about: Suicide Risk Assessment and Intervention: International Perspectives on Safety-Oriented Practice
Abstract: Suicide is a global public health concern, with over 700,000 deaths annually. In the UK, around 19 people die from suicide each day, with England's 2023 suicide rate at 11.2 per 100,000, which is slightly higher than the 9.1 per 100,000 average worldwide.
This presentation will compare US and UK approaches to suicide risk assessment and intervention, exploring theoretical foundations including the Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicide and the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behaviour. The lecture will address recent NHS England guidance (2025) emphasizing the shift from risk-focused to safety-focused approaches, superseding the 2009 report on assessing and managing risk in mental health services.
This includes evidence demonstrating poor predictive validity of traditional risk assessment tools and recommendations against using them to determine treatment decisions. The Prevention-Oriented Risk Formulation (PORF) model will be introduced as an approach aligned with UK's safety-first philosophy, moving from prediction to dynamic formulation. The PORF synthesizes presenting problems, precipitating and protective factors, risk status, risk state, available resources, and foreseeable changes into an integrated understanding of suicide risk.
Finally, the presentation will cover collaborative safety planning strategies, including the six-step Safety Planning Intervention shown to reduce suicidal behavior and increase treatment engagement. This session will provide mental health professionals and trainees with practical tools for safety-oriented, formulation-based care consistent with current NHS guidance.
Biography: Bio: Dorian Lamis, PhD, ABPP, is a board-certified clinical psychologist and Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Emory University School of Medicine. His nationally recognized research program examines the relationships between mood disorders, substance use, and suicidal behaviors, with particular focus on historically marginalized populations and patients with serious mental illness.
Dr. Lamis has authored more than 180 peer-reviewed publications (over 9,000 citations) and has secured competitive funding from the NIH, CDC, SAMHSA, and the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation. He served as senior editor of Understanding and Preventing College Student Suicide (2011) and Advancing the Science of Suicidal Behavior: Understanding and Intervention (2015). Dr. Lamis provides direct clinical and administrative services in the Grady Memorial Hospital Behavioral Health Outpatient Clinic and routinely works with patients who are diagnosed with serious mental illness and at-risk for suicide and/or other self-harm behaviors.
Please join us in person if you can. Or click here to join the lecture on Teams.
Dates & times
| Date | Time | Add to calendar |
|---|---|---|
| 27 Nov 2025 | 4:00pm - 5:00pm |
Accessibility
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