Citation

Owens C, Lambert H, Donovan J, Lloyd KR. Br. J. Gen. Pract. 2005; 55(516): 503-509.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Royal College of General Practitioners)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16004734

PMCID

PMC1472785

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Many suicides may be preventable through medical intervention, but many people do not seek help from a medical practitioner prior to suicide. Little is known about how consulting decisions are made at this time.AIM: To explore how distressed individuals and members of their lay networks had made decisions to seek or not to seek help from a medical practitioner in the period leading up to suicide.Design of study: Qualitative analysis of psychological autopsy data.SETTING: One large English county.METHOD: Semi-structured interviews with close relatives or friends of suicide victims were conducted as part of a psychological autopsy study. Sixty-six interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach.RESULTS: Relatives and friends often played a key role in determining whether or not suicidal individuals sought medical help. Half the sample had consulted in their final month and many were persuaded to do so by a relative or friend. Of those who did not consult, some were characterised as help-resisters but many others had omitted to do so because no-one around them was aware of the seriousness of their distress or considered it to be medically significant. A range of lay interventions and coping strategies was identified, including seeking non-medical help.CONCLUSION: Greater attention needs to be given to the potential role of lay networks in managing psychological distress and preventing suicide. A balanced approach to suicide prevention is recommended that builds on lay knowledge and combines medical and non-medical strategies.