PSYCHOTHERAPISTS' ATTITUDES TOWARD SUICIDE

A survey of 400 members of Division 29 (50% usable return rate) showed that psychotherapists are differentially accepting of suicidal ideation. Specifically, the degree of acceptance of suicidal ideation and the amount of action that would be taken to prevent a suicide vary among cases of ideation arising from terminal illness, physical pain, psychological pain, and bankruptcy. Whether or not the ideator was portrayed as a client of the respondent had no effect on dependent variables. Eighty-one percent of the respondents believed in rational suicide. Therefore, a majority of psychotherapists apparently believe that suicide is, in some cases, acceptable and that the client's situation would to some extent dictate the amount of action taken to prevent suicide. The potential implications for the standard of care for the treatment of some suicidal ideators are discussed.