When a patient commits suicide: An empirical study of psychoanalytic clinicians

Abstract

Twelve psychoanalysts/psychoanalytic psychotherapists who had a patient commit suicide while in treatment, or shortly after leaving treatment, were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of patient suicide on the clinician. A phenomenological research interview was used to gather data, and a psychoanalytic lens was used to interpret the data, generating a descriptive account of the experience of having a patient commit suicide. Thematic analysis of the transcripts yielded eight common themes associated with the clinician's subjective experience of having a patient suicide. The eight themes may be broadly grouped into three general structures: I. Traumatic loss and grief; II. Interpersonal relationships; and III. Professional identity concerns.

Supporting Providers After Drug Overdose Death

“…Support after suicide is a variable that has been found in several studies and commentaries to influence providers’ reactions. Clinicians in solo practices who were more isolated from colleague support were more likely to have increased symptoms of grief (23, 27). Another theme in the literature regarding provider experiences after patient suicide is the ways in which the provider’s clinical practice is affected (22–24, 28–31).…”

Patient Suicide: A Survey of Therapists' Reactions

“…Based on a review of the literature (Alexander et al, 2000; Chemtob et al, 1988; Goldstein & Buongiorno, 1984; Hendin et al, 2000, 2004; Kolody, Binder, Bronstein, & Friend, 1979; Marshall, 1980; Michel, Armson, Fleming, Rosenbauer, & Takahashi, 1997; Tillman, 2006; Vogel, Wolfersdorf, & Wurst, 2001) and considering items of the questionnaire of the Working Group Suicidality and Psychiatric Hospital, we developed the 63‐item questionnaire described below. Our aims were to (1) assess how therapists react to a patient's suicide over time (immediately, 2 weeks and 6 months later); (2) determine which factors, such as therapist's characteristics, patient's characteristics, or circumstances of suicide, contribute to the reaction; (3) elucidate potential subgroups that are different with regard to experience of severe distress; and (4) evaluate potential differences in the reactions of professionals in institutional settings and in private practice.…”

An unhealable wound: left by suicide

“…Grieving may be complicated by fears about legal and organizational pressures and may be interrupted by fears of judgment from the professional community, keeping the analyst/therapist from acknowledging the experience. This then impairs the ability of the professional community to learn more about the effects of suicide on analysts/therapists, keeping those affected from receiving help (Tillman ).…”