Back from the brink: The experience of hospital after a suicide attempt and what happens when you go home

Key proponents of suicide prevention have been calling for “Lived experience” research with people who have attempted suicide. Consequently, this research uncovered people’s experience after a suicide attempt, and what they go through at this critical time. Information was obtained from interviewing eight, adult volunteers and analysed using Colaizzi’s descriptive phenomenological framework. This paper describes the experiences of being hospitalized, discharged, and returning home to struggle with suicidality and mental illness, difficulties with other people, and with medication. It contains new findings on the way patients’ help each other recover, and the experience of returning home after a suicide attempt.