Citation

Kaltreider NB. Suicide Life Threat. Behav. 1990; 20(3): 195-205.

Affiliation

Langley Porter Institute, University of California, San Francisco 94143.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1990, American Association of Suicidology, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

2238012

Abstract

The suicide of a medical classmate can have a profound effect upon the survivors. After the violent death of a third-year medical student at the University of California-San Francisco, the level of concern expressed in discussion groups suggested a need to study the impact in more detail. Interviews and scale data from 20 volunteer medical students identified a pattern of posttraumatic symptoms persisting over several months. The interviewees' tendency to identify with the victim was related to the prevalent experience of medical student depression. Specific suggestions are made both for immediate crisis management and for preventive intervention strategies within a medical school.