The impact of patient death and suicide on mental health professionals: mixed-methods study.

Authors

Kyrillos M Meshreky, Rachel Gibbons, Rowena Carter

Published in

BJPsych open. Volume 12. Issue 4. Pages e178. Jul 06, 2026. Epub Jul 06, 2026.

Abstract

Although all patient deaths affect clinicians, it remains unclear how the impact of suicides differs from other deaths. Is the trauma of losing a patient by suicide qualitatively distinct, or are the emotional, professional and organisational consequences of suicidal and non-suicidal deaths more similar than assumed?
To investigate the impact of patient suicide compared with other patient deaths on clinicians' psychological well-being, clinical practice and career. To explore clinicians' perspectives on how current support systems do, or do not, meet their needs.
A mixed-methods approach was used. An online survey with two subsets of questions (one for suicidal and one for non-suicidal patient deaths) was circulated to clinicians across South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust.
A total of 122 responses were collected: two-thirds of respondents had experienced a patient suicide, with 53% reporting moderate and 12% reporting severe impact versus 36.6% reporting moderate and 4.2% severe for non-suicidal deaths. Non-suicidal death was associated with significantly lower impact (odds ratio 0.14, 95% CI [0.05, 0.41], p < 0.001) and less disruption to clinical practice. Blame emerged as a key factor shaping clinicians' responses: 98% of respondents rated suicide as <60% predictable in secondary care, and 69% rated the 'zero-suicide' policy as unachievable.
Patient suicide has a heavier impact on clinicians, qualitatively distinct from other patient deaths. Blame shapes defensive responses in suicides, and internal questioning in non-suicidal deaths. The low-risk paradox and perceived unachievability of zero-suicide policies call for re-evaluation. Acknowledging predictability limits and clinicians' support needs can help systems navigate the complex impact of patient suicides.

PMID:
42405425
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 06 Jul 2026.

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