Title: Suicide Attempt Disclosures: Helping Survivors Navigate Who, When, and How to Tell Their Stories

Authors: Lindsay Sheehan, PhD; Nathalie Oexle; Silvia A. Armas; Hoi Ting Wan; Michael Bushman; LaToya Glover; Aamir Laique; and Stanley Lewy

Description: The context of disclosing suicidality: An exploration with attempt survivors (Sheehan et al., 2021) provides examples of suicide disclosure and examines how survivors can share about their attempt with risk reduction. Disclosure about suicide has multiple risks including fatal or nonfatal future suicide attempts, stigma-related concerns, and negative impacts on mental health. Strengthening self-reflection, interpersonal relationships, and post-traumatic growth are potential benefits of positive suicide disclosure experiences. While negative experiences can be re-traumatizing for survivors and potentially triggering for others thus increasing suicidal ideation or behavior for vulnerable confidants. The authors of this article describe their findings on three main themes: whom to tell, when to tell and how to tell. This article identifies strategies for counselors on how to best support suicide attempt survivors in navigating self-disclosure.