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. 2017 Nov 21;17(1):369.
doi: 10.1186/s12888-017-1508-7.

The failure of suicide prevention in primary care: family and GP perspectives - a qualitative study

Gerard Leavey  1 , Sharon Mallon  2 , Janeet Rondon-Sulbaran  3 , Karen Galway  4 , Michael Rosato  3 , Lynette Hughes  3
Affiliations

The failure of suicide prevention in primary care: family and GP perspectives - a qualitative study

Gerard Leavey et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: Although Primary care is crucial for suicide prevention, clinicians tend to report completed suicides in their care as non-preventable. We aimed to examine systemic inadequacies in suicide prevention from the perspectives of bereaved family members and GPs.

Methods: Qualitative study of 72 relatives or close friends bereaved by suicide and 19 General Practitioners who have experienced the suicide of patients.

Results: Relatives highlight failures in detecting symptoms and behavioral changes and the inability of GPs to understand the needs of patients and their social contexts. A perceived overreliance on anti-depressant treatment is a major source of criticism by family members. GPs tend to lack confidence in the recognition and management of suicidal patients, and report structural inadequacies in service provision.

Conclusions: Mental health and primary care services must find innovative and ethical ways to involve families in the decision-making process for patients at risk of suicide.

Keywords: Families; Prevention; Primary care; Psychiatric services; Suicide.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was granted a favourable opinion by the Office for Research Ethnics Northern Ireland (ORECNI), a branch of the National Research Ethics Service in the United Kingdom (REC reference: 10/NIR03/65). All participants provided written informed consent.

Consent for publication

Written informed consent was obtained from the participants for publication of this study and any accompanying images. A copy of the written consent is available for review by the editor of this journal.

Consent for publication

Permission to access the required data from Coroners Service Northern Ireland and General Practice records was granted under Section 33 of the Data Protection Act.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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