In this episode of the Managing Uncertainty podcast, Bryghtpath Principal & CEO Bryan Strawser talks about threat incident risk factors in threats of workplace violence, including potential suicide situations. Topics discussed include threats of suicide, threat management, workplace violence prevention, and domestic violence.

Episode Transcript

Hey Folks, Bryan Strawser, Principal and CEO at Bryghtpath, and welcome to the Managing Uncertainty podcast for this week where we’re going to be talking about risk factors with threats.

When we think about threat management, and threat management programs, one of the ways that we evaluate the risk of a threat, and I’m talking about a threat from an individual, a threat in terms of workplace violence, or against an individual in your company like an executive, or others. When we think about a set of threat incident risk factors, these are things that go along with threats such as written, verbal, or veiled threats made towards your company, at your company, in regards to your company, or an individual working there that might be a precursor to violence.

These are important things to consider when we’re thinking about how serious to take a threatening situation, with comments or commentary made by an employee or others. Let’s walk through some of these risk factors, and we divide these into four categories. The first is about risk factors that indicate potentially a desire to commit suicide.

The first is that the individual has had previous attempts to take their own life. No matter how serious or insignificant they may be. Previous attempts to commit suicide. The second is to look at their level of alcohol or substance abuse, drug abuse, particularly if any of those are prevalent. The third is a feeling of hopelessness that the individual exhibits what can be viewed as signs of depression, signs that there are no hope, that there’s no way out of a difficult situation or relationship, or debt, or another factor in their life.

The fourth is impulsiveness, that the individual is an impulsive decision maker, that they make impulsive decisions in the course of their life. They suddenly decide on a Friday to go to Cancun on Saturday. They jump into a relationship, and instantly plan to get married. These kind of impulsive decisions. They go out an rapidly buy a new car after just commenting about debt.

Another high risk factor for suicide is a recent significant loss. This could be employment, or a job. It could be a financial situation. It could be a relationship or a marriage, or a close friendship that has ended, but have they have a recent significant loss?

The next factor and perhaps one of the most important factors when it comes to gaging the risk of suicide with an individual is access to lethal means. Do they have the means available to them, easily available to them, that would allow them to take their own life? This could be ownership of a firearm. It could be talking about knives, or suicide via gas, or different ways that are out there that an individual might use, and that they have access to.

The next is another significant risk factor, and that is creation or verbalization of a plan, or perhaps a written plan or ideas that they have shared, and a post on Facebook, or other social media in writing, in their diary that they talk about, but individuals who have made a plan, and who have access to lethal means are at high risk of suicide, high risk of taking their own life.

The next risk factor is lack of social support, that they don’t have friends and family, and others to lean on that are nearby. They don’t have a close social network that serve as anchors to help them through a difficult situation. The next risk factor is withdraw, and here we think about withdraw from work, from relationships,