Vol VII, Issue 2
Date of Publication: May 07, 2022
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20529/IJME.2021.096
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Research Articles
Ethical dilemmas encountered in suicide research and management: Experiences of young mental health professionals
Supreet Kaur Bhasin
Ishita U Bharadwaj
R P Beniwal
Vanya Gupta
Triptish Bhatia
Smita N Deshpande
Abstract:
This study aimed to explore ethical dilemmas and challenges faced by young mental healthcare researchers and professionals working with survivors of suicide (hereinafter suicide survivors). Two focus group discussions (FGDs) Researcher FGD (with those engaged in suicide research) and Clinician FGD (with those providing treatment to suicide survivors) – consisting of open-ended questions and lasting for 70-90 minutes were conducted and analysed using Thematic Analysis. Five themes were identified: i) struggling with the incongruity of harm within benefit, ii) difficulty in delineating boundaries, iii) self-doubt in one’s professional competence, iv) nature of suicide straining the limits of confidentiality, and v) working with structural limitations. The study helps to understand the obstacles and dilemmas encountered in adhering to ethical principles while working with vulnerable individuals.
Copyright and license
©Indian Journal of Medical Ethics 2021: Open Access and Distributed under the Creative Commons license ( CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits only non-commercial and non-modified sharing in any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.