Interpersonal Psychological Theory of Suicide Semi-Structured
Interview (IPTS)
The IPTS (Chu et al., 2015) is a semi-structured interview that assesses
an individual’s level of suicide risk. There are 4 classifications of
suicide risk: Low, Moderate, Severe, and Extreme, with each level being
associated with suggested interventions. Content includes previous
suicide attempts, suicidal thoughts, history of non-suicidal
self-injury, intention for suicide, believing one could attempt suicide,
family history of suicide, hopelessness, perceived burdensomeness, and
thwarted belongingness. All interviews were conducted by trained
graduate students and responses for all content was recorded and then
coded by 3 undergraduate research assistants.