NIMHANS review flags enduring impact of child suicides on parents, mental health professionals

A NIMHANS review highlights the lasting impact of child suicides on parents and mental health professionals, urging better support systems.

A recent review by researchers from NIHMANS has underlined the profound and long-lasting impact of suicides among children and adolescents on both bereaved parents and mental health professionals, while calling for stronger, structured support systems.

The paper, titled “The impact of suicidal deaths of children and adolescents among parents and mental health professionals: A systematic review and meta-synthesis”, has been published in the British Psychological Society journal - Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice. It draws on an analysis of 25 studies to examine shared and distinct experiences of grief.

Bino Thomas, additional professor of Psychiatric Social Work at NIMHANS, who is one of the authors, told The Hindu that the loss of a child to suicide leaves both families and clinicians grappling with unanswered questions.

“After months of therapy, there is always a relationship that mental health professionals build with children. When a child dies by suicide, it leaves us with questions- whether we did enough, whether we missed something, what went wrong,” he said.

He pointed out that such losses often bring emotional strain for professionals as well. “There is a belief that doctors do not feel pain, but we do. We regulate our emotions, but the grief is real,” he said, stating that in some cases, parents and therapists grieve together, which can help make sense of the loss.

The study finds that parents experience intense and prolonged grief marked by guilt, self-blame, and a persistent search for answers. Many struggle with stigma and isolation, while their mental health vulnerabilities may increase over time.