Staff in the health service experience feelings of anger, guilt and sadness in the aftermath of a patient committing suicide, according to research published yesterday. They also feel professional self-doubt and anxiety over whether or not the death might have been prevented.
The research, carried out by the North Eastern Health Board, found some 18 per cent of staff in the region who replied to questionnaires had experienced "client suicide" at some point in their career with the health board. Some staff had encountered up to 25 suicides.
Over half of the 447 staff surveyed who had a patient or client under their care die by suicide reported that this had occurred within the past two years.
"The most common emotional response reported by over 40 per cent of respondents who had experienced client suicide were feelings of anger, guilt and sadness followed by physical and psychological symptoms associated with trauma. The latter included sleep loss, irritability, lack of concentration and professional self-doubt," the report said.
It stressed that female staff were more likely to be affected than male staff.
Of those who had come across suicide in the course of their work, 36 per cent stated that no guidelines were available or in place to assist them in their response to a suicide. A further 14 per cent were uncertain about what if any guidelines existed within the health board.
"Time out or time off to reflect on the experience or come to terms with it was expressed as a need, with emergency medical staff in particular commenting on the lack of time between traumas and the stress incurred in relation to not getting time to recover.
"As one male emergency medical technician stated, 'Sometimes we go immediately from one call to another with no break, no time to discuss or reflect'," the report said.
Staff felt they needed special training on how to cope with suicide and how to deal with families of suicide victims.