Musings
Having recently gone through more 'evaluation' of my condition and it being found that I don't 'warrant' in home help [even though I can barely get out of the house] and having to settle for over the phone counselling that, frankly, at this stage, I don't have much hope for it doing any good, I have thought about some of the questions one is asked when approaching anyone for mental help and I think some of them are flawed. For example - Are you feeling suicidal? This is probably the least flawed question. An answer of yes can be explained away with a sincere "But I don't feel like committing suicide right now'.
Asking if a person feels like committing suicide, on the other hand, is silly. If they aren't, well and good and they may not then [or in the future] but if they are truly contemplating it - why on earth would they answer 'Yes'? If the intention is to kill oneself [and not just call attention to one's plight] you don't want anyone to know until after the fact. Outside knowledge could lead to interference and a lack of success, therefore invalidating the true desire for death.
I have yet to be asked if I have a death-wish though. A different strain of thought that could lead to the same conclusion as suicide though I have been asked if I wished to be dead. I also have not [to memory] been asked if I was trying to kill myself slowly. No one seems to think that suicide could be a slow act, performed by abusing one's body in such ways that it is likely to fail all by itself.