title: Facing a patient who seeks help after a suicide attempt: the difficulties of health professionals.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Although intervention with suicidal patients is one of the hardest tasks in clinical practice, little is known about health professionals' perceptions about the difficulties of working with suicidal patients.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aims of this study were to: (1) describe the difficulties of professionals facing a suicidal patient; (2) analyze the differences in difficulties according to the sociodemographic and professional characteristics of the health professionals; and (3) identify the health professionals' perceived skills and thoughts on the need for training in suicide.
  
  
  METHODS
  A self-report questionnaire developed for this purpose was filled out by 196 health professionals. Exploratory principal components analyses were used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Four factors were found: technical difficulties; emotional difficulties; relational and communicational difficulties; and family-approaching and logistic difficulties. Differences were found between professionals who had or did not have training in suicide, between professional groups, and between the number of patient suicide attempts. Sixty percent of the participants reported a personal need for training and 85% thought it was fundamental to implement training plans targeted at health professionals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Specific training is fundamental. Experiential and active methodologies should be used and technical, relational, and emotional questions must be included in the training syllabus.
authors: <location>Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal</location>
authors: Inês Areal
authors: IA
authors: Rothes
authors: <location>Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal</location>
authors: Margarida Rangel
authors: MR
authors: Henriques
authors: <location>Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal</location>
authors: Joana Barreiros
authors: JB
authors: Leal
authors: <location>Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal</location>
authors: Marina Serra
authors: MS
authors: Lemos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005260:Female; D058005:General Practitioners; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D011570:Psychiatry; D011584:Psychology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: difficulties; health professionals; needs; perceived skills; suicidal behaviors