Interacting with Suicidal Older Persons: an Application of Symbolic Interactionism for Nurses and Related Mental Health Professionals

Increasingly, nurses and other health care professionals are expected to engage in evidence-based practice , as well as apply a theoretical or philosophical framework or model to their day-to-day mental health caring practices. Although there is substantial research about caring for older people who are suicidal, the literature on the more basic aspect of how to apply concepts from a selected theoretical framework in one’s work with these clients is practically non-existent. The purpose of this paper is to present an easily understandable overview for these very busy health professionals of the basic tenets of a conceptual framework referred to as symbolic interactionism as applied to nurses and related mental health professionals who are interacting with a hypothetical older client who has been recently admitted to a nursing home and is experiencing suicidal thoughts.