[Impact of patients' suicide on psychiatrists. An exploratory qualitative study and recommendations for better...

Experiencing a patient’s suicide can have a considerable emotional and behavioral impact on psychiatrists. Knowledge about good aftercare for them is still lacking.

To gain more insight into the impact of suicide on psychiatrists and into improvement of their recovery.

An exploratory qualitative descriptive study using semi-structured interviews conducted with five psychiatrists working at a large Dutch mental health institution.

Five themes were distinguished: emotional impact, stacking and workload, taking responsibility, feelings of being held accountable and perceived support. Suicides made a profound emotional impression on all psychiatrists. Experienced emotions varied in nature and duration. Due to the accumulation of incidents and workload, the psychiatrists experienced little room for recovery. They felt a great responsibility to provide good aftercare for family and colleagues as well as to manage formal matters properly. They also felt that they are held accountable. Emotional support from colleagues was experienced as very valuable. Practical support was missed.

For the mental well-being of psychiatrists, it is important for them to receive both emotional and practical support in the aftermath of a patient’s suicide. This requires a joint approach from fellow practitioners as well as policy makers. Training is indispensable in this regard.