Abstract
The suicide rate in Northern Ireland, particularly among young men has grown rapidly in recent years. A relatively religious society, compared to other UK European regions, a needs assessment of clergy's pastoral response to mental illness and suicide was undertaken as part of the suicide prevention strategy. We carried out in-depth interviews with 37 clergy from a range of Christian denominations. While a compassionate response to suicide by clergy was commonly advocated, made permissible by an attribution to mental illness, there remain some misgivings about a "softer" theological stance towards suicide. This article describes clergy explanatory models of suicide and discusses the issue of cognitive dissonance on this subject. © 2011 Taylor & Francis.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 65-74 |
Number of pages | 10 |
Journal | Mental Health, Religion and Culture |
Volume | 14 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published (in print/issue) - 2011 |
Keywords
- suicide
- religion
- pastoral care
- mental illness
- clergy
- suicide prevention