Coping With A Patient's Suicide: A Curriculum for Psychiatry Residency Training Programs

Objective: The suicide of a patient is often experienced as a traumatic event by the clinician involved. Many articles have identified the need for education to guide clinicians through the aftermath of patient suicide; however, little has been published on development of such a curriculum, particularly for residents. This article describes one residency training program's development of an organized curriculum on coping with patient suicide and evaluates the impact of a core aspect of the training on clinicians' knowledge about and confidence with coping with patient suicide. Methods: The training includes a biennial half-day workshop for all trainees plus an "as-needed curriculum" used after a completed suicide. A total of 42 clinicians (39 psychiatry residents and 3 psychiatry faculty) participated in a workshop on coping with patient suicide. Their attitudes and knowledge about the topic were assessed before and after the training. Results: Participation in the workshop was associated with large and statistically significant increases in knowledge and self-perceptions of competence in coping with patient suicide. Conclusions: The addition of a curriculum on coping with patient suicide has the potential to significantly enhance psychiatric residency training.