“It is very important for clinicians to talk to their patients about their thoughts and beliefs about having a mental illness and going through mental health care,” says lead author Dr. By understanding the inner thoughts of a person prior to dying by suicide, there are obvious clinical implications for this research. One of the implications for clinicians in assessing the risk of suicide is the importance of understanding the different ways their patients interpret their mental illness. The authors stress that mental illness is treatable and that all people who are affected deserve to have timely access to high quality treatment. In the context of severe depression and other mental illness, it can be difficult for patients to maintain hope that their condition will improve. While some expressed a sense of hopelessness, feeling that there was nothing that could be done to help them get better, others blamed themselves for not responding positively to treatment. In over half of the suicide notes, the writers referred to previous mental health treatment. They perceived the struggle as a “losing battle,” leading to feelings of exhaustion.Įxperiences of mental health treatment that lead to hopelessness and self-blame Several writers framed mental illness as an opponent that must be “fought,” which seemed to use up valuable mental and emotional resources. Seeing their situation as a battle between the ‘real self’ and mental illness Others felt that they maintained control over their lives, but were angry at themselves for being unable to change the trajectory of their illness. Many people who died by suicide felt that they had no control of their mental illness and its impact on their lives. Within the notes, the authors found three primary themes that could improve the identification and treatment of those with mental illness who are at risk for suicide. Suicide prevention: Can we harness social media to help save lives? Juveria Zaheer, a Clinician Scientist in CAMH’s Institute for Mental Health Policy Research.
These patterns can be targets of treatment in those at risk,” says senior author Dr. The hope is that we can use this information to understand patterns of thinking that contribute to suicide. “By investigating suicide notes, we have an opportunity to improve our understanding of the mind-set of people in the moments prior to their suicide deaths.
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