PATIENTS REACTIONS TO THE SUICIDE OF A PSYCHOTHERAPIST

This descriptive exploratory study examines the behavioral and affecti ve reactions of clients to the suicide of their psychotherapist 1 year after the event, including remembered responses upon first hearing of the suicide. Initial grief reactions of participants were found to be similar to other suicide survivors with strong attachments to the dec eased, including depression, numbness, anger, hopelessness, and panic. One year after the event, several participants continued to discuss t he event with friends, had persistent feelings of depression and aband onment, and continued to deny the death as a suicide. A reluctance to reenter therapy was also reported. Almost all participants stated that suicide was an acceptable solution to some problems. These results su ggest the potential existence of pathological grief for many participa nts in this study. Implications for the mental health community and in tervention services for patient survivors are discussed.