[A patient's suicide. The psychiatrist's impact]

The clinical work of the psychiatrist often faces him to people who openly talk about their wish to die. However, although such thoughts did not culminate in most cases, unfortunately statistics show that suicide is a concrete possibility, more frequent than suspected. Globally, a million people die by suicide each year. The will to kill themselves is a complex phenomenon that is neither new nor modern. Suicide has crossed different times adopting different forms and meanings according to culture and history. As doctors, we tend to describe behaviors, in this case highly such a variable one, which involves various reasons and determinants. Thus, much has been written in the scientific literature about suicide in the causes, risk and protective factors, most vulnerable groups, etc. It has also been remarked the pain that the suicide causes in the family and close friends. Lots of articles propose psychotherapeutic and supporting measures for the suicide survivors to avoid the traumatic consequences of the experience. But, what about the psychiatrist? Isn't him a person who has been in close contact with the subject who has killed himself? The survivor risk of having traumatic symptoms, does it not apply to the doctor who was in charge? In this article, it will be taken into account the point of view of the psychiatrist in the grief after a patient's suicide.