Between compassion and condemnation: a qualitative study of clergy views on suicide in Northern Ireland

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 preve...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mental health, religion & culture
Authors: Leavey, Gerard (Author) ; Rondon, Janeet (Author) ; McBride, Peter (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Taylor & Francis 2011
In: Mental health, religion & culture
Further subjects:B Suicide Prevention
B Pastoral Care
B Mental Illness
B Religion
B Suicide
B Clergy
Online Access: Presumably Free Access
Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary: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.
ISSN:1469-9737
Contains:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2010.502523