Free Self-Directed Violence Toolkit and Classification System Clipboards

Order your SDVCS clipboard before their gone! These are great tools for the fast paced world of clinicians who want to know and use the SDV Decision Tree.

You can also use our online decision tree or our smartphone web app!

Self-Directed Violence Classification System On-Line Decision Tree

We have developed an on-line version of the SDV decision tree to help clinicians select the most appropriate SDV term.

The tool, based on work by Donald "Gordy" Gordon, VISN 2 Center of Excellence Suicide Prevention, offers a quick and easy question-based tree.

Go to the On-Line SDV Classification Tool.

Self-Directed Violence Classification System (SDVCS) and Clinical Toolkit Released - Updated 18 October 2010

As of 10/18/2010, all SDVCS materials have been updated to reflect changes in the CDC's definition of the term Suicidal Intent.

The field of Suicidology has long struggled with the lack of a universally agreed upon definition for suicide and associated terms. Synonymous with the word suicide is the term self-directed violence. A shared understanding of self-directed violence (SDV) in its various forms is critical. The VA is adopting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Self-Directed Violence Classification System (SDVCS).

The SDVCS is a taxonomy of terms and corresponding definitions for thoughts and behaviors related to both suicidal and non-suicidal SDV. SDVCS terms are organized by:

1. Types
2. Subtypes
3. Definitions
4. Modifiers
5. Terms

A two-page handout of the Self-Directed Violence Classification System is available for download. Also available for download is the Clinical Tool (CT). The Clinical Tool was created to aid clinician decision-making by facilitating rapid SDVCS term identification using a decision-tree model.