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1 results

  • Chapter 4 - Suicide

  • Edited by Christopher C. H. Cook, Andrew Powell
  • Book:
    Spirituality and Psychiatry
    Published online:
    07 October 2022
    Print publication:
    20 October 2022, pp 71-90

  • Summary

    Religious traditions, especially in the West, have historically condemned suicide. This attitude has changed over time, such that compassion for the deceased and for survivors, together with appreciation of underlying troubled mental states, has led to an increasing emphasis on prevention and support. Membership of faith communities and spiritual practices are generally, but not always, protective against suicide. Some therapeutic treatments have evolved from a spiritual background. Spiritual beliefs and attitudes, such as a search for meaning, can be considerations for those contemplating suicide, as seen in case histories. Taking spiritual factors into account in both assessment and management is beneficial. Severely ill people may wish for assisted dying as a way of ending their suffering. Laws and attitudes to this differ internationally and change over time. People bereaved by suicide are a vulnerable group, and require appropriate support by both spiritual and health professionals.