Citation

Pompili M, Girardi P, Ruberto A, Kotzalidis GD, Tatarelli R. Eur. J. Emerg. Med. 2005; 12(4): 169-178.

Affiliation

Department of Psychiatry, Sant'Andrea Hospital, University of Rome 'La Sapienza', Rome, Italy; McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2005, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16034262

Abstract

Staff in the emergency departments of hospitals are reported as being negative or ambivalent toward suicidal or self-harming individuals. According to the literature, these patients are subjected to stigmatization and lack of empathy. This phenomenon has been linked to a decreased quality of care offered to these individuals and to missing an important opportunity to prevent further suicidal behavior or repetition of deliberate self-harm. Also, protocols, proper guidelines and education for the emergency staff call for a revision and an implementation.In this paper, evidence suggesting staff attitudes toward suicidal and self-harming patients is reviewed. An overview of related issues such as clinical judgment, the use of scales and nurses' role is also included in this report.