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Psychological reactions to coroner's inquest
- Anita D. Damle (13 January 2009)
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Anita D. Damle, Consultant Psychiatrist St. Andrews Healthcare, Northampton
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adamle{at}standrew.co.uk Anita D. Damle
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I found the article helpful. It does bring together relevant information for the psychiatrists facing the coroner’s inquest. It was however disappointing that it did not deal with the psychological reactions and the process of bereavement of varying degree that the psychiatrist goes through. Rightly or wrongly, the psychiatrist will hold herself or himself responsible for the outcome and often experiences consequent guilt, self blame, self reproach and sadness. Much of the psychological and psychiatric interventions have a basis of patients putting their trust in the doctor and the caring team and feelings of having failed can be and often are overwhelming, at least initially. The families are expected to grieve, feel the pain but the professionals are expected to remain detached and professional. This can lead to feelings of having nowhere to go to work through the process of loss. The routine clinical work goes on, colleagues no doubt help up to a point but in the end the individual has to come to terms with it. We are all affected by what happens to our patients, and if we are not, then perhaps it is time to retire from clinical medicine. More exploration of these emotions would have helped to normalise and understand the reactions and any suggestions as to how to negotiate this inevitable occurrence in one’s professional career would have added much to the otherwise excellent article. Perhaps this is a topic for another article. |
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