Table 5.

Patient phrases initiating suicide discussion

Patient disclosure	Patient Health Questionnaire item 9*	Physician responses
1. I just feel that I haven't had any suicidal ideation in a year or so, and it's been very pervasive in the last month	2	Are you (inaudible) at the sleep lab
2. I don't know. I just don't. know, I just don't—I'm tired of living like this. I'm so tired of living in pain, I don't want to. I can't—you know	3	You just save it up for me
3. I've had suicidal things going on with me	3	Oh, I'm sorry to hear that
4. I think I should just be buried	0	Mm-hmm. Let's see. Shortness of breath
5. I'm not thinking of suicide anymore†	2	That's good

^*Item 9 asks, ‘How often in the past 2 weeks have you been bothered by thoughts of death or of hurting yourself?’ Response options are ‘Not at all=3,’ ‘Several days=1,’ ‘More than half the days=2’ or ‘Nearly every day=3.’

^†Spontaneously denied the presence of suicide ideation but indicated being bothered by thoughts of death or hurting herself ‘more than half the days’ in the past 2 weeks on the Patient Health Questionnaire.