Ethical Aspects of the Prevention of Suicide in Psychiatry

From an ethical perspective, three values are at stake in the prevention of suicide—the inviolability of life, the autonomy of the client, and the care relationship between caregivers and client. These values can be integrated in the following way. The best prevention consists of a good care relationship involving intensive counseling of the client regarding existential questions. In this way, caregivers can increase the client's autonomy and responsibility. Sometimes, however, caregivers need to intervene with protective measures to safeguard the inviolability of the client's life. Caregivers strive for a reasonable balance between autonomy and inviolability by means of the integrating value of the relationship.