Internet and suicide: A generic qualitative study of counselors who work with suicidal clients

Résumé

The Internet plays a large role in the social activities of many. However, the emotional health of a society is impacted by the Internet as well. The aim of this study is to gain a better understanding of the experiences of counselors' who work with suicidal clients who have utilized the Internet to find methods of committing suicide. Ten counselors were used in a focus group to gain a better understanding of their experience working with clients who use the Internet for suicide methods. The focus group used open-ended questions to elicit further conversations regarding the use of the Internet. Interviews were done to clarify information as needed. The findings of the current study show that a variety of emotions are reported when talking about the counselors' lived experiences with suicidal individuals who have used the Internet as a tool to look for suicide methods. These emotions range from Internet use being commonplace to needing to be closer monitoring of the Internet for signs or red flags of suicide. The study found that very few of the participants had encountered suicidal individuals who had utilized the Internet as a search method for suicide methods. Only a few of the participants had come into contact with individuals who had committed suicide, only the few who had worked in this field for an average of 20 years or more. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved) INTERNET INFORMATION RECHERCHE-AIDE COUNSELING ÉTUDE-QUALITATIVE INTERVENANT INTERNET