IS PATH WARM?
A mnemonic for suicide warning signs with mixed research support.
IS PATH WARM? is an acronym used as a mnemonic device, created by the American Association of Suicidology to help counselors and the general public remember the warning signs of suicide.
Quick Facts
- Creator
- American Association of Suicidology
- Purpose
- Mnemonic device for suicide warning signs
Facts from the source article.
Predictive value
Reviews of the IS PATH WARM mnemonic in psychiatric literature have been mixed. Some studies have confirmed that certain warning signs in the acronym are associated with suicidal ideation. One study compared postings on an online suicide forum with those on a self-injury forum and found that posters in the suicide forum were more likely to express suicidal ideation, purposelessness, feeling trapped, and social withdrawal, though less likely to express recklessness. That study concluded that individuals exhibiting IS PATH WARM warning signs were more likely to have suicidal ideation. However, other literature has been critical of the mnemonic's value in predicting suicidal behavior. A white paper prepared for the United States Fire Service's Suicide and Depression Summit stated that the acronym's utility has been hampered by limited sensitivity and weak specificity. A 2011 study found that none of the ten warning signs were able to predict completed suicides. Additionally, a review of school-based suicide prevention noted that the warning signs were based on risk factors appearing across the lifespan and had not been evaluated independently for youth, making the acronym's value in predicting suicidal behavior in children uncertain.
Educational value
One of the American Association of Suicidology's stated goals in creating the IS PATH WARM mnemonic was to aid the general public in learning and recalling the warning signs of suicide. The Society's webpage explains that the 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, being disseminated in suicide prevention materials from sources including the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, the New York State Department of Correctional Services Training Academy, and the United States Navy, among many others. Research regarding whether the mnemonic achieves its educational goals has been limited. A 2009 study compared two groups of airmen in the United States Air Force Suicide Prevention Program. One group received the standard briefing without IS PATH WARM, while the other received the standard briefing plus information about the mnemonic. The researchers found that 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. The results suggested that inclusion of the mnemonic interfered with participants' ability to learn suicide warning signs, and that increased confidence in the perceived ability to recognize suicide risk was not related to actual ability to accurately recall warning signs. In summary, the limited research available 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.
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