Attempted suicide in bereaved individuals: The experience of a consultation-liaison psychiatric unit

Abstract

Introduction:Bereaved individuals are at high risk for suicidal behavior, a fact well-known since antiquity as indicated by the Greek myth of Aegeas, who in his grief jumped into the sea in the mistaken belief that his son, Theseus, had been slain.Methods:We report the experience of our recently established Consultation-Liaison Psychiatric Unit in the management of bereaved patients who attempted suicide.Results:Between December 2006 and August 2007 we accepted 36 requests for consultation with patients who had attempted suicide. Five patients (13.8%) reported the loss through death of a beloved one 3 to 22 months prior to the attempt. The most common reasons for attempted suicide were hopelessness, loneliness and meaninglessness of life, which they attributed to the bereavement. All patients had suicidal ideation for weeks or months prior to the attempt and two patients had revealed it to a close person. Only one patient had been assessed by a psychiatrist. Patients as well as their relatives reported that they considered these feelings as part of the normal grief process, even if they were prolonged or overwhelming. Two patients denied any further psychiatric intervention, one dropped out after one month's follow-up and two patients display a good outcome after a period of more than 4 months' follow-up.Conclusion:When assessing patients in the Consultation-Liaison context, consultants should bear in mind the impact of bereavement, especially in cultures where complicated grief is easily misconstrued as a normal process than as a condition which merits psychiatric evaluation and care.