Personal Stigma in Suicide Attempters

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore suicide attempters’ experiences of personal stigma. This qualitative study included a focus group of 7 experienced clinicians and semi-structured interviews with 8 suicide attempters. Thematic analysis of the data yielded four main themes: seriousness, care, “badness,” and avoidance. Experiences of stigma pervaded all contexts, but were most emotionally upsetting to the participants in interpersonal relationships. The findings show the importance of evaluating stigma for suicide attempters during suicide risk assessment and the need for specifically tailored interventions to combat suicide stigma at the individual level.