The Ask Suicide-Screening Questions (ASQ) toolkit is designed to screen medical patients ages 8 years and above for risk of suicide. As there are no tools validated for use in kids under the age of 8 years, if suicide risk is suspected in younger children a full mental health evaluation is recommended instead of screening., Suicide, however, is preventable with timely, evidence-based and often low-cost interventions. One such measure is the Columbia Suicide Severity Risk Scale (C-SSRS), a series of simple questions to assess the severity and immediacy of suicide risk that anyone can ask., Screening in Medical Settings The emergency department, inpatient units, and primary care settings are promising venues for identifying young people at risk for suicide. • Several studies have refuted myths about iatrogenic risk of asking youth questions about suicide, such as the worry about “putting ideas into their heads.”, A hierarchy of screening questions that gently leads to asking about suicidal intent is an accepted method of risk assessment. Ask specific questions about self-harm, suicidal thoughts, plans, attitudes towards suicide, history of suicidal behaviour, thoughts of death, and feelings of hopelessness., Here, in Part 2, I will begin to explore how, in conversations with your client, you can begin to gather the information needed for your full assessment, focusing on how to ASK about suicide, LISTEN to your client’s story, and CLARIFY missing pieces of your assessment., Beginning a Suicide Inquiry Assess the frequency and intensity of the patient’s suicidal thoughts. Ask the patient: about passive and active suicidal ideation when they last had these thoughts and how often they have them if they have a history of suicide attempts (and if so, when, and did they tell anyone).