The perception of a suicide attempter presented by medical and technical students

The suicide prevention system is a multilevel complex of measures of which formation of objective conceptions on suicide behavior is of special significance for medical workers. From this perspective last-year medical students are of high interest as the knowledge acquired by them at universities will proceed mostly unchanged into their careers and will determine the level of their alacrity to provide help, its character and quality. The aim of the research: To analyze medical students’ perceptions of suicide attempters and compare them with technical students’ perceptions (used as controls). Methods and materials: 92 6-year medical students and 86 technical students were interviewed using a specially designed questionnaire. Results: The questionnaire data analysis allowed to produce the following collective representation of a suicide attempter. It is usually an unmarried female student of 21 years of age with a complicated character living with her (low) middle-class parents. She mostly becomes suicidal during the break ups or when in need. More often she chooses to fall down from heights, rarer she takes poisoning agents or hangs herself. To get information or to find help she tends to discuss her problems in social media. The representation obtained is far from reality and is more common for general public. The negative aspects here is the fact that specially trained for years medical students do not actually possess sufficient knowledge of suicidology and operate information that is presented by Mass Media or popular among general public. The distorted perceptions of suicidal behavior can have a negative effect on their further professional career when they come across suicidal patients or colleagues. Conclusions: To enhance medical students’ knowledge and expertise in suicidology we suggest to allot Suicidology as a substantive course in the Master’s and Post-Doctorate programmes for medical specialties, including secondary medical personnel.