Project Overview
Psychiatrists are mental health professionals who experience greater incidence of patient death by suicide, which is a distressing occupational event associated with far-reaching impacts on professional practice and wellbeing.
The present study aims to investigate how patient suicide affects the personal and professional lives of consultant and non-consultant psychiatrists in Ireland, and what resources/systems psychiatrists would find helpful in mitigating the
impact of a patient suicide.
A survey informed by previous research was disseminated to members of the College of Psychiatrists of Ireland.
Project Aims
- To investigate how patient suicide affects the emotional well-being and clinical practice of psychiatrists.
- To identify the resources that psychiatrists would find helpful before and after the suicide of a patient.
- To explore psychiatrists’ attitudes to suicide and suicide prevention, and their perceptions of institutional and societal pressures.
Team Members Involved
Dr Eibhlin Walsh, Dr Cliodhna O’Brien, Dr Paul Corcoran