Ned is a very skilled interviewer. Which method for assessing suicide ideation is he LEAST likely to use?

• A. Directly ask: "Have you been thinking about suicide?"
• B. Use standardized assessment scales
• C. Ask about intent indirectly
• D. Observe nonverbal cues

Answer: (A)

When evaluating suicide ideation, a skilled interviewer blends information from multiple sources to build an accurate risk picture while maintaining rapport and safety. Because of that, indirect approaches and structured tools are often favored early in the assessment: indirect questions can open the topic gently and reduce defensiveness, standardized scales provide validated benchmarks, and careful observation of nonverbal cues reveals distress not stated verbally. Directly asking, “Have you been thinking about suicide?” is blunt and can feel confrontational if rapport hasn’t been fully established; a highly skilled interviewer may choose to use indirect questioning and formal assessments first to gather data, reserving a direct, explicit inquiry for a point where it can be integrated into a clear safety plan. Therefore, that direct question is the least likely method to be used as the primary approach in a thorough, skilled interview.