[Suicides of psychotherapy patients and their impact on their psychotherapists].

Abstract

For many psychotherapists, the suicide of a patient is accompanied by strong emotional and professional effects. The aim of the present study was to investigate the processing of such an event by affected practitioners.An online study was conducted with a focus on various potentially influencing factors, such as the subsequent receipt of supervision, the (professional) exchange with team colleagues and friends, as well as the anticipated predictability and avoidability of patient suicide. It was also analyzed to what extent the level of experience of the practitioners and the age of the suicidal person had an effect on the stress experienced by the practitioners after a patient suicide. The Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) was used as a key indicator of the stress experience.The study involved n=117 practicing practitioners, predominantly psychological and medical psychotherapists and psychotherapists in training. A key finding of this study was that female (p<0.001) and less experienced (p=.018) practitioners reported a significantly higher level of distress after a patient suicide.An important implication for practice is that prospective psychotherapists should be better prepared for possible patient suicides as part of their training. Furthermore, the data situation and the state of research on this topic should be expanded, particularly in German-speaking countries.