Assessing risk of suicide or self harm in adults

A middle aged man presents to his general practitioner having just lost his job. He seems to be low in mood and asks for something to help him to “pick myself up.” He is reluctant to talk. Meanwhile, a teenage girl presents to the local emergency department having made a third drug overdose in the past two months. In both situations the attending doctor wants to know what factors would suggest that the person was more likely or less likely to be at risk of suicide or repeat self harm.