Experiences of the bereaved in connection with the suicide of young men

On average 110 men under 35 years of age take their own lives in Norway each year. Few receive health assistance in the period prior to the suicide, and little research exists on contact with assistance agencies for persons who take their own lives, beyond studies of the number of doctor visits before the death. This study aimed to obtain knowledge of relatives' need for assistance from the health services, both to identify suicide risk and motivate them to seek help in life crises.

Sixty-one in-depth interviews with the bereaved next of kin of young men (18-30 years) were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis.

The bereaved perceived the generally accepted assumption that suicide is attributable to mental illness as an obstacle to identifying suicide risk. Most of the bereaved saw no signs of mental illness before the suicide. The suicide crisis was associated with relational factors. The bereaved who had harboured the thought that a suicide risk existed found that it was not enough to urge the suicidal person to seek health assistance. Improved knowledge of suicide and seeking health assistance were measures that were proposed.

The findings challenge the current prevention model. Healthcare personnel as well as the general population should be better informed that mental illness is neither a sufficient nor a necessary factor to explain suicide, even though a higher risk of suicide is associated with some mental disorders.