Interesting. How did you know he was suicidal? If I am convinced he is suicidal, it is easy to have a conversation. But I feel there is so much gray area and the last thing I want is to make someone who is just feeling a bit down in life from thinking about suicide.
She wasn't feeling her usual self and I had to ask explicitely(Do you consider suicide?). For someone who is just feeling down and not suicidal the question might be a bit of a shock, but in the end you are showing that you care and that you are present if things go really bad.
And then again, pretty much everyone knows the existence of suicide. If asking the question and trying to help drives someone to action, chances are something else would have.
