Suicide Prevention Structural Precautions for Behavioral Health

We have an inpatient behavioral medicine unit that is made up of two separate areas. One side is a locked high-risk unit, and the other side is a voluntary unit.  Is the voluntary unit required to have the same suicide prevention structural precautions that we have in the locked unit?


This is a risk assessment issue that has to be determined by your organization based on the patient population served and any past history of suicide attempts in units other than your locked high-risk units. Based on this assessment, you should then document and take whatever steps are deemed necessary, if any, to reduce the risk of suicide.