Impact of suicide on health professionals in psychiatric care mental healthcare professionals' perceptions of suicide during ongoing psychiatric care and its impacts on their continued care work

Abstract

People who attempt suicide as well as those who actually take their own life often have communicated their suicidal thoughts and feelings to healthcare professionals in some form. Suicidality is one of the most challenging caring situations and the impacts of suicide care affect both the professional and personal lives of healthcare professionals. This study investigates how mental health professionals perceive suicide while providing psychiatric care and how this perception impacts their continued care work. This qualitative exploratory study includes 19 mental health professionals in psychiatry who had provided care for patients who had taken their own life. Analysis followed the principle of phenomenography. The findings reveal that these healthcare professionals experienced an internal conflict that affected them both personally and professionally. In response to these conflicts, the healthcare professionals developed strategies that involved a safety zone and increased vigilance. Those who were able to commute and balance a safe spot and learning to be more vigilant seem to have developed as a result of patient's suicide. These findings have the potential to help establish a post-suicide caring process where healthcare professionals learn to make better suicide assessments, become more open to talking about death with patients, and develop a humbler approach to understanding a patient's suicide.

The psychological experiences of nurses after inpatient suicide: A meta‐synthesis of qualitative research studies

“…Personally, I do not want to touch this memory anymore. (Zheng et al, 2019)I find it difficult to go to patients, especially in the evenings and early mornings because I do not want to step into a hanging… (Rytterström et al, 2020). After the patient committed suicide, I was mentally stimulated, in a trance, under great pressure, and once thought of quitting my job.…”

Suicide-Related Knowledge and Attitudes among a Sample of Mental Health Professionals

“…Several psychiatric services offer psychological support after a patient's suicide, and healthcare professionals who had experienced a patient's suicide learned from that experience how to better manage suicide risk [26,27]. Healthcare professionals who had experienced a patient's suicide reported administering improved suicide risk assessments, felt better able to ask patients questions about suicidal ideation, and were more aware of suicide risk factors [28].…”

The impact of patient suicidal behavior on the personal and professional well-being of mental health providers: A systematic review.

“…Awenat et al (2017) further reported that participants developed negative attitudes regarding the feasibility of preventing patient suicidal behavior. Lastly, Rytterström et al (2020) reported that the death of a patient by suicide led to questioning and a search for the meaning underlying the event.…”

“…The final dimension of personal impact was related to mental health outcomes including incidents of psychiatric or mental health diagnoses. Awenat et al (2017) and Rytterström et al (2020) identified that the emotional distress experienced in the aftermath of the patient suicidal behavior could be prolonged. Wang et al (2016), Goldstone and Bantjes (2019) and Moerman (2012) found that participants experienced emotional and physical exhaustion with the former two studies indicating that this experience could lead to burnout among mental health providers.…”

“…Wang et al (2016), Goldstone and Bantjes (2019) and Moerman (2012) found that participants experienced emotional and physical exhaustion with the former two studies indicating that this experience could lead to burnout among mental health providers. Fairman et al (2014) and Rytterström et al (2020) identified that mental health providers experienced a series of different mental health symptoms following patient suicidal behavior including intrusive images, panic attacks and nightmares. Participants of the latter study stated that their colleagues experienced mental health difficulties following patient suicidal behavior.…”