The October 2012 edition if the Behavior Therapist has an excellent article on Cognitive Therapy with suicidal clients. I believe that it can be downloaded by going to www.abct.org/docs/PastIssue/35n7.pdf.

A recent NIMH study has identified a quick 4-question screening tool that does a good job of youth who are at risk for suicide in a sample of youth who were seeking medical care. For summary of the study, which includes a link for downloading the questionnaire, go to http://www.nimh.nih.gov/science-news...sk-youth.shtml

While this measure was developed for use with adolescents in medical settings and has not yet been tested on adults or in non-medical settings, it wouldn't surprise me if it worked well in a wide range of settings and on adults as well. However, keep in mind that this is designed as a quick screening, not a full assessment. A positive response to one or more of the questions needs to be followed up by a full assessment and appropriate intervention