Attitudes of Psychiatrists Towards Suicide: Comparison of Turkey and Slovenia

Abstract

Background and aims: Suicide rates vary in different cultures. The reasons for this difference are investigated, and attitudes, which are considered as important determinants of future behavior are becoming more important in this research field. The aim of this study is detemine psychiatrists’ attitudes towards suicide living in two countries with very different suicide rates. Methods: Seventy nine Slovenian (34 men, 45 women; mean age: 47.5±9.9), and 106 Turkish (75 men, 31 women; mean age: 34.3±6.9) psychiatrists joined the study. Attitudes Towards Suicide Questionnaire (ATTS) were filled out by the participants. Results: Four (1.6%) (1 Turkish, 3 Slovenian) of the participating psychiatrists reported that they have attempted suicide in the previous year. Turkish psychiatrists held less permissive attitudes towards suicide and their attitudes towards euthanasia were more disapproving. Percentage of psychiatrists who reported that they were prepared to help a person in suicidal crisis by taking contact were 79.4% for Turkish and 94.9% for Slovenians. Conclusions: This study implied that professionals with similar educational backgrounds such as psychiatrists could have different attitudes towards suicide in different cultures. The relatively low percentage of psychiatrists reporting that they were prepared to help a person in a suicidal crisis points out the need for continious medical education in Turkey

Keywords

• Attitudes, suicide, psychiatrists

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