A nurse plans to evaluate a newly admitted depressed client's potential for suicide. what is the best approach to obtaining this information?

I would ask the patient if he/she thinks about harming his/her self and how severe the depression is ie mild moderate or severe and how does it manifest itself to the person ie loss of initiative difficulty making decisions being negative about oneself, how long they have been depressed for, and also who are the significant people in their lives ie do they live with loved ones, have children, grandchildren etc ie important people to live for.