Now this is an interesting question. I can speak to you from a very unique perspective - having been there & having similar feedback from past clients. One thing that I’ve seen is not only a non-fear of death, but almost an exhilarated feeling when speaking of death or “the other side.” It’s almost like an excited feeling of leaving this world or life & “going home.” Now, generally when a person is so depressed & they’re contemplating suicide, it’s because their pain exceeds their ability to cope, leaving suicide as a “last resort.” Now these people don’t necessarily want to die, they just want their pain to stop. These aren’t the ones that are quite ready for death (usially). But as we’re taught, having a plan is a sign of moving forward with the idea of suicide, but there seems to be a “readiness” to die or “leave planet earth” coming from the person. They may seem to be looking forward with relief of not having to be in their body any longer It can be a difficult thing to pick up on. See, those who are TRULY contemplating suicide generally will not share their plan or that they’re truly going to do it because they don’t want to be stopped & they certainly aren’t going to tell a professional - unless they’re still in the running for obtaining help. Those who are still reaching out for help are the ones who aren’t quite there yet. So, is there an actual test? Not to my knowledge but having been there & not been stopped & was found and revived (many many years ago), I do know what that energy feels like coming from a person - without actually asking about suicide in a way that directly implicates them. You have to know what to feel for. The answer is not in their words, it’s in their energy. It’s not in what they say, it’s what they don’t say. Again, this is a difficult question to give a definitive answer and I wish I could be more literal but that’s because a person who is truly aligning themselves with suicide, is just going to do it. I wish I could be more helpful here, but best to you in your search for answers.

Attached is an article that is published on the Fix Addiction Site. I don't use a scale. I'm sure some exist. I conduct an interview based on what we know are the risk factors.

I look forward to other responses.

Rich

Beck Hopelessness Scale

(BHS)

• Aaron T. Beck, MD

Beck Hopelessness Scale® measures negative attitudes about the future. Responding to the 20 true or false items on the (BHS®), patients can either endorse a pessimistic statement or deny an optimistic statement.

It is here on RG: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/18728483_The_Measurement_of_Pessimism_The_Hopelessness_Scale

I can attach our papers about suicidal ideation: