OLIVEIRA, Clarissa Tochetto de; COLLARES, Lucas Abreu; NOAL, Martha Helena Oliveira    DIAS, Ana Cristina Garcia. Mental health staff's perceptions about suicidal behavior. Gerais, Rev. Interinst. Psicol. []. 2016, 9, 1, pp.78-89. ISSN 1983-8220.

The aim of this study was to identify the academic background, demeanor, and emotional reaction of mental health professionals regarding suicide. Individual, semi-structured interviews were carried out with nine professionals. The information was submitted to content analysis and generated three categories: staff 's background, demeanor when handling with suicidal behavior, and staff 's emotional reactions regarding suicidal behavior. Results showed that participants reported emotional discomfort more frequently, as well as the perception of academic deficits to deal with suicidal behavior. As for the conduct, staff 's attitudes were according to the manuals that guide the way to deal with these situations. We concluded that the professionals' knowledge, practices, and feelings are related when it comes to working with suicidal behavior. The academic background deficit may contribute to the emotional discomfort experienced by the staff, besides limiting the strategies available to be applied when dealing with risk patients.

: Suicide; Mental health personnel; Professional education.

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