[Postvention: how a psychiatrist should face a patient's suicide]

Suicide by a patient in therapy, which is not a rare encounter for most psychiatrists, may be a traumatic experience for the treating psychiatrist. The psychiatrist should sincerely face the patient's suicide, which can be a part of crisis management in psychiatric care. If a patient commits suicide, appropriate care should be offered to: 1) the patient's family members, 2) other vulnerable patients, 3) medical and nursing staff, and 4) the treating psychiatrist and nurse in charge of the deceased patient. The patient's family members should be informed of patient factors before the suicide and the care required by the family members. Information on what actually happened before the suicide should be given to other patients, and individuals who are severely influenced by the suicide should be offered appropriate care. The medical and nursing staff should examine the case from the viewpoint of what they can learn from the death. With the help of the supervisor, the treating psychiatrist and nurse in charge of the deceased patient should look into the case, and his/her negative countertransference and attitude toward death and suicide. This can help the psychiatrist acquire better therapeutic skills for treating suicidal patients in the future.