Which action is essential when assessing suicide risk to address protective factors?

• A. Explore protective factors.
• B. Focus only on risk factors.
• C. Ignore protective factors.
• D. Discuss only past attempts.

Answer: (A)

Exploring protective factors is essential because these elements help buffer risk and provide resources that support safety. Protective factors—such as strong social support, access to mental health care, effective coping and problem-solving skills, reasons for living, and positive engagement with family, friends, work, or community—can reduce the likelihood of self-harm and improve outcomes. By identifying what already helps the patient stay safe, you can reinforce those supports, address barriers to utilizing them, and incorporate them into a concrete safety plan. This approach complements evaluating risks and guides targeted interventions, rather than focusing only on risk factors or past attempts, which may miss the resources the patient can draw on in the moment.