An observational study on dermatologists' perceptions on suicide in dermatological practice: A study of Iranian attitudes and prevalence estimations

Background:chronic Illnesses are risk factors for suicide. From a third-person perspective, the goal of the current study would be to determine the prevalence of suicide-related behaviors in atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, or acne patients (namely,Iranian dermatologists).Methods: A link to a survey designed exclusively for this study has been issued to ۳۸۰ independent dermatologists in Iranian; ۳۹ of them participated.Results:More than five patients with atopic dermatitis, psoriasis, or acne committed suicide in ۲۰۱۸, according to three dermatologists. Seven doctors treated for one to ten patients with suicide thoughts. These results are suggestive for a low rate of suicidal ideations in Iranian dermatology ordinations. These patients had a higher risk of suicide, which has been recognized by the majority of dermatologists in the sample (۷۹%) Furthermore, ۵۴% of participants said it would not be challenging for them to identify suicidal thoughts. Patients who were in a suicide crisis were reportedly helped by being referred to a psychiatrist or having a chat about it. In the sample, most challenging about suicide was lack of time and lack of knowledge. Furthermore, dermatologists were enthusiastic about collaborating with mental health specialists and bringing innovative preventative methods into practice (e.g., suicide-related training programs). Results suggests that private specialists visited fewer patients but spent much more time with them than contract doctors. Nevertheless, these difficulties associated not seem to have an impact on the standard of care they provide. The degree to which doctors notify their patients that extra psychological therapies may be beneficial and investigate about their emotional condition was used to define the quality of the therapy. Positive effects on treatment quality were seen in patients who were female and had a background in psychology.Conclusions: Dermatologists' underestimation of the problem and Iran's effective healthcare system are two possible explanations for the low incidence of reported depression and suicidal thoughts.The study has implications for improving dermatologists' and mental health experts' collaboration and addressing patient suicidality from a first-person perspective (i.e.,the patients).

Keywords:

Suicide prevention , Suicidality , Mental health , Psychodermatology , Skin disorders Dermatology