Citation

Tillman JG. Int. J. Psychoanal. 2006; 87(Pt 1): 159-177.

Affiliation

Austen Riggs Center, 25 Main St, Stockbridge, MA 01262, USA. Jane.Tillman@austenriggs.net

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Institute of Psychoanalysis, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16635866

Abstract

Twelve psychoanalysts/psychoanalytic psychotherapists who had a patient commit suicide while in treatment, or shortly after leaving treatment, were interviewed to gain a deeper understanding of the effects of patient suicide on the clinician. A phenomenological research interview was used to gather data, and a psychoanalytic lens was used to interpret the data, generating a descriptive account of the experience of having a patient commit suicide. Thematic analysis of the transcripts yielded eight common themes associated with the clinician's subjective experience of having a patient suicide. The eight themes may be broadly grouped into three general structures: I. Traumatic loss and grief; II. Interpersonal relationships; and III. Professional identity concerns.

Language: en