NJ Nurses article: Suicide among nurses

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Found this thought provoking article on the front page of October 2015 New Jersey Nurse & the institute for Nursing Newsletter. Karen

Suicide Among Nurses

...Suicide is a major public health issue with over 800,000 people dying by suicide globally every year” (Cheung, Merry, & Sundram, 2015, p. 17).

What leads anyone to take his own life? What leads nurses to commit this act?

Knowledge and access to means, depression and nontreatment of depression, smoking and substance abuse, and stress (personal and occupational)” (Alderson, Parent-Rocheleau, & Mishara, 2015, p. 95) contribute to the higher incidence of suicide among nurses.

As a community, it is important to look at our past and to our future: those studying to become nurses.

In relation to nursing students, Goetz suggests that they may be at higher risk for suicide than other college students because they are subjected to a stressful academic curriculum. Specifically, nurse training includes both clinical placements and theory-based classes, and among other stressful situations, nurses must also learn to cope with suffering and death. In a recent study of 142 Greek nursing students, 10% reported suicidal thoughts and 1.4% stated that they might attempt suicide if they had the chance (Aradilla-Herrero, et al., 2014, p. 520).

What can we do as a nursing community to prevent such tragedies from occurring?

We must be comfortable reaching out to those who express sadness and potential thoughts. Knowing the signs and intervening can be life sustaining. Also learning to handle those who have attempted suicide is an important part of caring

On a personal note, it is imperative to look inward and realize that we are not immune to stress, understand our own limitations, hold ourselves accountable, and seek help when necessary.

For immediate help, the National Suicide Prevention Hotline at 1–(800)–273–TALK (8255) is a 24-hour, toll-free, confidential, suicide prevention hotline available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. By dialing 1–(800)–273–TALK, the call is routed to the nearest crisis center in a national network of more than 140 crisis centers. Local crisis centers provide crisis counseling and mental health referrals day and night.” (Additional Resources|Suicide|Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC)...