Natural language processing for suicidal behavior detection in short Spanish clinical notes from first-contact interviews

Introduction

Suicide is a multifactorial phenomenon influenced by social, cultural, biological, and psychological factors, whose early detection remains challenging. According to the World Health Organization, suicide is the third leading cause of death among individuals aged 15-29 years, representing a major public health concern for young populations worldwide. In first-contact clinical settings, screening opportunities are often constrained by limited time, sparse patient information, and operational workflows. This study evaluates the feasibility of detecting suicidal behavior from short Spanish-language texts collected during initial screening interviews.