Life after surviving a suicide attempt

Investigating the experience of life after a suicide attempt, and understanding how people find meaning and go on living, is important for developing appropriate responses. This study explored the unique lived experience of life after surviving a suicide attempt. Seven adults were interviewed using a semi-structured interview schedule. Interviews were transcribed and subjected to an interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Four themes emerged, each with subthemes: relationship to suicide (the ongoing-ness of suicide, in-between-ness), relationship to healing (proceeding differently, freedom to heal, being regarded), relationship to self (encountering oneself, authentic being), and relationship to life (living with meaning, connectedness and belonging, curiosity and uncertainty). An overall theme of transformation emerged from the analysis. The opportunity for transformation can be experienced as ongoing crisis and can lead to deeper personal meaning if facilitated appropriately. Having meaning and purpose in life were experienced as essential to living. It is recommended clinical psychologists, and others, be prepared for the unpredictability of transformation and adapt existing practices where needed.