[Attitudes of medical and nursing personnel on suicide]

This paper investigates the attitudes towards suicide among nursing and medical personnel of Rethimno General Hospital and the Community Health Centers of the county of Rethimno. The Suicide Behavior Attitudes Questionnaire (SBAQ) comprises of 21 visual analoque scale items and three subscales: i.e feelings when caring for a suicidal patient, professional capacity and right to suicide. Τhe study sample consisted of 104 members of the personnel, (48 doctors and 56 nurses). Nursing personnel tended to be more sympathetic towards the patient than doctors. More sympathetic attitudes were also expressed by women compared to men. Religious individuals expressed a more condemnatory attitude towards suicide, and a more sympathetic attitude towards the patient, compared to non religious ones. 26% of the total sample expressed the belief that suicide is not associated with a psychiatric disease. The need for training of the personnel is emphasized in order to give professional care to the difficult group of suicide attempters or patients with suicidal ideation.