Abstract
This study analyzes the views of four groups of healthcare professionals who may play a role in the management of suicidal behavior. The goal was to identify key factors for suicide prevention in different areas of the healthcare system. Qualitative research was conducted using focus groups made up of different healthcare professionals who participated in the identification, management, and prevention of suicidal behavior. Professionals included were primary care physicians, psychologists, psychiatrists, and emergency physicians. ‘Suicide’ was amongst the most relevant terms that came up in discussions most of the times it appeared associated with words such as ‘risk’, danger’, or ‘harm’. In the analysis by categories, the four groups of professionals agreed that interventions in at-risk behaviors are first in importance. Prevention was the second main concern with greater significance among psychiatrists. Primary care professionals call for more time to address patients at risk for suicide and easier access to and communication with the mental health network. Emergency care professionals have a lack of awareness of their role in the detection of risk for suicide in patients who seek attention at emergency care facilities for reasons of general somatic issues. Mental health care professionals are in high demand in cases of self-harm, but they would like to receive specific training in dealing with suicidal behavior.
Highlights
Suicide is a serious public health issue and one of the most frequent causes of unnatural death in the world, with approximately 800,000 people dying by it every year in the world [1]
The term ‘psychiatrist’ was associated by the rest of professionals to the expert of reference when it comes to the management of suicidal behavior, placing special emphasis on the difficulties in accessing them when required for this type of cases
The terms that the participants used the most were ‘psychiatrist’ and ‘psychologist’, which reflects the major role played by mental health professionals in the management of suicidal behavior, as well as the frequent link between suicide and mental illness
Summary
Suicide is a serious public health issue and one of the most frequent causes of unnatural death in the world, with approximately 800,000 people dying by it every year in the world [1]. It is one of the leading causes of death among young people, being one of the top three in the 15–44 age range and ranking second in the 15–19 age group [1]. Suicide prevention is at the core of the operational program of the World Health Organization, whose aim is to lower suicide rates by. Public Health 2018, 15, 2117; doi:10.3390/ijerph15102117 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph
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