title: [Psychiatrists' emotional reactions to a patient's suicide: a case series].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to describe the emotional reactions experienced by a group of psychiatrists following the suicidal death of a patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was carried out between February 2005 and January 2006 within the Mental Health Department of Padova. Data were collected through a questionnaire administered to the reference psychiatrist at least two weeks after the suicide of a patient. The aim of the tool was to assess emotional reaction when told about the suicide and when filling in the questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All the interviewed psychiatrists (n = 11) reported emotions, mostly self-doubt, sadness, disbelief, guilt, fear, shock and helplessness. Some differences were found between residents and consultant psychiatrists. Of the 11 psychiatrists, 7 did not blame anyone for their patient's death, and 6 of them judged the suicide to have been unpreventable. All the therapists sought conversation about the event; a team case review was conducted in 8 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A patient's suicide is a significant event in a psychiatrist's professional life, particularly among resident psychiatrists. The emotional process only partly overlaps the usual grief process. Discussions with peer/senior colleagues and team case reviews are helpful tools in the grief process of psychiatrists and should become part of the working practice of every Mental Health Department.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, and THL-National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Elena
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Toffol
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pilotto
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Scocco
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011570:Psychiatry; D013405:Suicide