What is it about?
What makes it easier or harder for suicidal patients to speak up about emotional pain? When we set about this research we thought that some people would be more vocal than others. Instead what we found was that there were 4 types of emotional pain communication, and that each patient had examples of trying them all. Sometimes they didn't speak out, so nobody could hear them. At other times when they spoke up they were heard effectively. Sadly there were times when they spoke out and yet their communication went unheard. Fortunately there wer also times when they didn't speak but their care team managed to pick up their emotional pain communication without their words. We worked out 7 things that really help emotional pain communication, and 7 factors that reduce it. Using patients and staff members' interviews. 43 subthemes were identified and these are included in our research paper. It's worth really studying that table, because each item on it is so important for helping us hear that pain. One of the examples preventing people speaking out is feeling 'Beseiged' by the sheer relentlessness, pervasiveess and physicality of that pain, plus being worried about being medicated or hospitalised if they talk openly. One of the facilitators is a sense of 'Co-bearing' - feeling that the staff member is in there, sharing the load with them. Patients also told us that staff may believe if they can talk openly about their feelings, then perhaps they are not that bad after all. Other themes are described in the research paper. Please read it.
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Why is it important?
Suicide is associated with escaping emotional pain, yet professional focus is often on risk communication rather than the emotional pain communication itself. Professionals need to become more aware of emotional pain communication, and to understand the factors that encourage or inhibit it. Patients describe how they communicate, and which responses leave them feeling either heard or unheard.
Perspectives
I decided to do this research after many years of working with patients who were in chronic emotional pain, and who had recurring urges to take their own life. Since doing the research a number of people have told me that unheard emotional pain is a big factor in people they have known who have either died by suicide or felt drawn towards it. So I feel pleased to contribute to knowledge in this area.
Dr Christine Dunkley
Bangor University
My colleague, Dr Christine Dunkley led this interesting research programme. Unheard emotional pain and emotional pain communication is an area that needs further research.
Prof Stephen Palmer
Aalborg University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Hearing the Suicidal Patient's Emotional Pain, Crisis, July 2018, Hogrefe Publishing Group,
DOI: 10.1027/0227-5910/a000497.
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