Psychological Differences in Psychiatrists and Suicidal Patients: Potential Critical Issues for Development of Therapeutic Alliance

Suicidal patients are traditionally viewed as hard to treat and rehabilitate, partly because of the difficulty in establishing therapeutic alliance with them. This work describes the study of psychological differences in psychiatrists and suicidal patients, which aims to find potential critical issues for development of therapeutic alliance. A sample of the study consisted of patients in acute postsuicidal state (N = 185, 64 men, 121 women, age 16–27, М = 21.39 ± 2.42, 2–14 days after suicide attempt), their age norm (N = 156, 40 men, 116 women, aged 18–24, М = 19.8 ± 1.11) and psychiatrists (N = 168, 49 men, 119 women, aged 27–81, М = 46.25 ± 13.88). The questionnaires used were Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory, the short versions of Experiences in Close Relationships — Revised, Death Attitude Profile — Revised, Fear of Personal Death Scale, as well as Hardiness Survey and Death Experience form. Significant differences were found between psychiatrists and suicidal patients in their levels of Present Hedonistic, Future, Anxious Style of Attachment, Fear of Consequences for Family and Friends, Neutral Death Acceptance, according to the analysis of variance (ANOVA) Games-Howell post hoc test, t-Student criterion for independent samples and Cohen’s d. These worldview differences (in time perspectives, attachment styles and death attitudes), as found in the studied groups, can cause difficulties in therapeutic work with this category of patients. The recommendations are given for coping with these difficulties.