Qualitative evidence in suicide ideation, attempts, and suicide prevention (IN: Handbook of Qualitative Health Research for Evidence-Based Practice, edited by K. Olson, R. Young & I. Schultz)

Understandings of suicidal behavior which contextualize and historicize the experience of despair, and which privilege subjective meanings, provide important insights into this complex phenomenon. The main purpose of this chapter is to bring to light the significant contributions that qualitative researchers have made to the evidence base on suicidal behaviors and suicide prevention. The burgeoning qualitative research literature on suicidal behaviors and suicide prevention practice is organized into three broad, overlapping categories: (a) lived experience of suicidality and healing, (b) practices and perceptions of care and treatment for suicidal individuals, and (c) conceptualizations of suicidal behavior and suicide prevention. Several practical implications of this body of evidence for health practitioners, policy makers, and researchers are highlighted. It is hoped that readers are inspired to think differently about what it means to suffer, to care, and to act in ways that support suicidal people to reengage with the project of living, within a broad context of justice, cultural diversity, and ethical social relations.