Meaning in life: confessions of suicidal patients and the need for a logotherapy-based nursing

MEANING IN LIFE: CONFESSIONS OF SUICIDAL PATIENTS AND THE NEED FOR A LOGOTHERAPY-BASED NURSING (Abstract): A strong meaning in life (MiL) was de-scribed as a protective factor against the suicide. Material and methods: Accordingly, in this study we conducted a series of interviews with 31 hospitalized suicidal patients (mean age of 55 +/- 13.5) and 31 control patients (mean age of 58.7 +/- 9.7) to evaluate their current MiL and potential means to recover it. The hospitalized patients have been known to the in-vestigator for an average of 4.8 years (median 2.9 years). Results: Psychiatric patients have been deeply affected by the ruined family relationships and harmful psychosocial experienc-es marked by betrayals, deceptions, abuse, threats, insults, contempt, deceit etc. According-ly, 71% (CI: 0.137-0.432) of suicidal patients and 19 % (CI: 0.637-0.908) of control patients have lost their MiL. Prayer and living their faith in God would represent motivational values to reach a MiL or constitute a MiL by themselves for 84 % (CI: 0.674-0.929) of the patients. It was also observed that the willingness to help other sufferers, the high need to love and to be loved, and to mean something to family and society represented a shared feature of sui-cidal patients and valuable sources for their MiL. Conclusions: a program of supportive logotherapy of suicidal patients and their inclusion in activities of helping other sufferers would represent a beneficial means both to relieve the burden of disease and to help them finding a MiL or to recover it.