title: [How to accompany a suicidal patient].
abstract: In this paper the author offers the prospective T.C. an orientation for the treatment of patients who have intended suicide. After examining general questions such as who and when people commit suicide, she presents an "Assessment of self-destructive potentiality" by Tabachnik & Farberow as a guide to the best prevention of the suicidal act. The metapsychological view of Freud as regards the repressed homicidal motivation in suicide is complemented by the views of Garma and Abadi. In respect to the process of accompaniment in these cases, the author suggests the appearance of four phases (simultaneous or in succession) that are: 1. the presence and the regard in which what is important for the patient is that the T.C. is there and affectionately regards him; 2. the listening, in which the T.C. provides facilities for the patient to speak; 3. the key word, in which "I comprehend" is the privileged T.C. expression; and 4. the dialogue. Within phase 3. discrimination can be made between different psycholinguistic aspects of the key expression, such as: a) its constituting aspects; b) its catarctic or economic aspect; c) its meaning a recognition of the patient's identity; and d) the emergence of hope. Also, as suicide is the end point of different psychopathologies, a brief indication of possible T.C. responses is given. In all these, the principal aim is to help the patient to elaborate a new life project. A clinical successful example shows how three T.C. were included in the treatment of a suicidal patient to accompany her in the recognition and tolerance of her own and others' aggressive feelings. Some philosophical considerations are added.
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D011566:Psychiatric Aides; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*
vernacular_title: Cómo acompañar a un suicida.