doses with legal or illegal substances are cons idered nonviolent in method, whereas jump-
ing, gunshot wounds, and other methods are considered violent. Another dimension for
classification is medical consequences of the behavior, with high-lethality attempts being
defined as those requiring medical hospitalizat ion beyond a visit to an emergency depart-
ment. An additional dimension considered incl udes the degree of planning versus impul-
siveness of the attempt, a characteristic th at might have consequences for the medical
outcome of a suicide attempt.
If the suicidal behavior occurred 12–24 mo nths prior to evaluation, the condition is
considered to be in early remission. Individua ls remain at higher risk  for further suicide at-
tempts and death in the 24 months after a suicide attempt, and the period 12–24 months af-
ter the behavior took place is specified as “early remission.”
Diagnostic Features
The essential manifestation of suicidal be havior disorder is a suicide attempt. A suicide at-
tempt  is a behavior that the individual has undertak en with at least some intent to die. The
behavior might or might not le ad to injury or serious medi cal consequences. Several fac-
tors can influence the medical consequences of the suicide a ttempt, including poor plan-
ning, lack of knowledge about the lethality of the method chosen, low intentionality or
ambivalence, or chance intervention by others  after the behavior has been initiated. These
should not be considered in assigning the diagnosis.