Back from the Brink
Introduction
“Back from the Brink: The Experience of Hospital after a Suicide Attempt, and What Happens When You Go Home,” by Jackson, Welch & Hopkinson,( 2020), focuses on the people who survived a suicide attempt. This particular interest in the topic followed the need for the research to believe that individuals with experience hold more considerable significance, yet they have been neglected. They have been termed significant sources of information and maybe essential in their contribution to the field of suicidology. This is a critique paper, providing a critical analysis of the article. This will involve a clear statement of the article’s thesis, the relevance of the research including its primary goal, a description of the use of the methodology, design analysis, and evaluation of the research’s results. Through this critical analysis, a better and thorough understanding of the article will be achieved. This is a quantitative research study, and this sets off the critiquing tool to use.
Statement of significance
This article’s most central aspect is its primary focus on responding to the need for more research on the lived experiences of individuals that have experienced attempted suicide. This has an essential relevance to mental health nursing, health, and the hospital. It provides more insight on suicidology and provides leading insights on the role of healthcare professionals in helping surviving persons of suicide attempts.
Critique Tool
This article provides a quantitative research study and requires a specific critique tool to conduct critical analysis. The instrument used for this article is the essential review form for quantitative studies. This tool provides a step by step guide of critiquing a quantitative research study.
Critical analysis
Study Purpose
This article’s study purpose was clearly stated, making it easy for the reader to identify. The study focused on describing the experiences of people after attempting suicide. This purpose is driven by the increased need for research on these individuals’ lives, with a greater belief that they are essential sources of information in the field of suicidology. This study is linked to occupational therapy as it provides extensive insights on the issue of suicide and what factors impact it.
Literature
The need for this study is well justified as the article provides a review of relevant literature on the topic. There is a keen inclusion in the background of existing research regarding the lived experiences of persons that have attempted suicide. These studies’ aims tended to revolve around the same aspects, with one of them seeking to explore the lived experiences around being suicidal and making an attempted suicide. The studies incorporated in the article have identified the possible implications of the research for health care providers, and this provides an excellent base for review.
Design
This article makes use of descriptive phenomenology in its methodology. This design was most appropriate for the research, as it focused on finding out about the experiences of persons who have survived attempted suicide. This methodology was guided by the research question of the study, “What was your experience of re-engaging with life after your suicide attempt?” The researchers sought to incorporate participants that included adult men and women who lived through the experience of attempting suicide. This design was also appropriate as the study’s ethical approval was provided by The Central Queensland University Human Research Ethics Committee. This followed the possibility that being involved in the study may result in certain distress levels for the participants.
Sample
The sample used for the study included participants recruited by the researcher from the community. After publishing information regarding the study, eight participants took part in the study, with ages ranging from 18 to 64 years. Four of the participants were male, and four were female.
For four of the participants, their attempt to suicide had happened two years before the interview. For the rest of the participants, their suicide attempt had occurred 6, 15, 27, and 43 years earlier, the interview for the study.
To ensure ethics was incorporated and considered in the study, the researcher provided each participant with a contact of an experienced mental health counselor. This was done before the interviews began, following the possibility of increased levels of distress after being part of the study. The participants also gave their written consent at this time, before any process was started.
Outcomes
The study outcome measures were very reliable as they were derived from the participants’ experience with attempted suicide. This also meant that the validity of the results was achieved for the study. These measures used included “being hospitalized,” “Follow-up,” “Dealing with ongoing depression,” and “Taking medication.” For the outcome measure of being hospitalized, the participants described it as an experience of both trauma and transformation. They termed it as a time for a change in their lives. For the second outcome measure regarding follow-up, the participants reported very minimal or no follow-up at all. One participant even mentioned arranging for his counselor. They all said different experiences with follow-up, but one constant factor was that the follow-up wasn’t as satisfactory as they wanted it to be. The third outcome measure used in the study was dealing with other people, and the participants mentioned that interacting with other people after being discharged from the hospital was difficult. They reported experiences of shame, heightened social isolation, and embarrassment. For dealing with ongoing depression, the participants mentioned during the interviews that they faced great difficulties every day regarding the contention with depression and suicidal thoughts. For the taking medication measure outcome, some participants indicated that their medication levels were quite troubling for them, while some reported that medication was essential in their regime.
Intervention
Intervention for these participants was not clearly stated in the research. However, the participants reported being hospitalized, provided with medications, and counseling sessions. These interventions played a significant role in the recovery of the participants. They said the significance of these interventions, especially seeing a mental counselor. The response employed in these situations can be replicated in occupational therapy since psychological therapy is as significant as any other for individuals with mental health issues.
Results
The results of the research study were not statistically represented in the paper. However, the researchers were keen to incorporate the outplay of the various outcome measures among the eight study participants. Although not statistically significant, the study results showed a distinct evaluation of the outcome measures and their variance among the study participants. Also, the analysis method adopted in the research study was appropriate and matched the results later discussed in the article. It provided a sufficient base for the outcome measures and linking them to the research question.
The results also have clinical significance, and this is because the outcome measures used to represent the results depict the clinical role in the subject. It shows that during hospitalization is an excellent time for the clinicians to have a significant impact on the lives of the patients. The participants used for the study also had a clinical significance, and this is because they were from different age groups, providing the study with a broader base for research and diversified results through the participants’ experiences. There were no participants who dropped out of the study, contributing to the research study’s success.
Conclusions and Clinical Implications
The research study concluded that the hospitalization period is a very crucial time in the lives of many. It represents a time of being open to change, which presents significant implications for clinicians as they bring tremendous changes to the lives of these individuals. The study also mentions in its conclusion that despite this period being critical, it is an opportunity missed by many every so often. It shows that people with attempted suicide experiences play a very invaluable role in helping others going through a similar experience. When people leave the hospital, they tend to remain suicidal, socially isolated, and a danger to themselves. All these show that life doesn’t get easier upon living the hospital as these people need physical, mental, and emotional recovery before they are whole again. This is a process that takes time and prone to various obstacles on the way, all of which enhance their vulnerability to suicide. Therefore, the study confirms that there is an essential need for improved services delivered to suicidal people, when they are in the care settings and when they are released from the hospital.
The results of this study have particular implications for clinical practice through professional development. The staff can be better equipped during training and education with the appropriate knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary to provide care to individuals who are considering committing suicide. It also calls for a specific model of care that is clear enough to provide clinical supervision. By doing this, the quality of care and services provided to individuals that have attempted suicide.