Support for community mental health teams post-suicide

Abstract

Suicide is a relatively common event in those seeking psychiatric care. However, its impact is nonetheless traumatic and devastating for those involved in the care of the patient. Community mental health teams (CMHTs) address every aspect of a patient’s life, which creates a unique relationship between the team and the patient. Patient suicide can have serious, detrimental effects on individual team members, on the functioning of the team itself and on the care of other patients in the aftermath of such an event. In spite of this, there are limited protocols to guide CMHTs in this situation. This article seeks to emphasise the impact of patient suicide on CMHTs as a specific entity. It highlights the need for more research in this area, in order to direct the formation of more coherent local and national guidelines.