Patient suicide in psychiatry residency programs : a national survey of training and postvention practices

Patient suicide, which has been shown to have great emotional impact upon trainees, is experienced by as many as one in three psychiatry residents. The authors report the results of a national survey of psychiatry residency training programs (N=166) that asked about 1) current training practices in the area of suicide and 2) required or recommended procedures in the event of suicide by a resident's patient. Results show that programs commonly offer training in the assessment and treatment of suicidal patients, but the question remains as to whether the training is adequate to meet the challenges of working with suicidal individuals. Results also reflect considerable variability in "postvention" practices among programs and training settings, especially in terms of what steps should be taken when a trainee's patient commits suicide. Implications of the survey for residency training programs are discussed.