What can qualitative research tell us about helping a person who is suicidal?

This review of qualitative research on how people live with or recover from being suicidal focuses particularly on the implications for nurses in a range of practice settings. Most research on suicide has been undertaken with the aim of identifying groups at risk. Qualitative research can help in understanding the experience of individuals who are suicidai and those who are recovering. While methods, sample groups and research questions have varied, some consistent findings serve to highlight the pain, suffering and alienation associated with the suicidal crisis. Qualitative research also reveals the potential for nurses to make an important, even life saving difference through the way in which they relate to people who are suicidal.