1. A protective environment: In this sub-category, most of the
participants perceived that living in a protective environment
nurtured the healing process following their suicide attempt.
They described a protective environment as one in which there
‘is no stress’ (P1). ‘I need it to be stable’ (P2). One patient who
had healed from her suicide attempt had this to say:
P1 (Participant 1): When I was so sad and full of anguish, I was
glad I was in the hospital so I could hide myself from the world.
The hospital environment protected me. I could temporarily
escape from my stress and this prevented me re-attempting a
suicide attempt.
2. A secure environment: The participants ‘felt comfortable’ (P2)
when they are living in a secure environment. They perceived
this as being related to ‘trust’ (P1), ‘feeling safe inside myself’
(P10), and a calm environment. They felt ‘at ease’ (P16) and
were able to carry out the activities of daily living including
talking with friends. This made them feel secure inside and
outside of self. One caregiver had this to say:
P18: My father moved came to live with me after his suicide
attempt. However, he wanted to live in his own home because he
said he felt more comfortable and secure there. He felt secure
there cooking and buying his own food. I asked him to promise