INTRODUCTION: Both health professionals and students care forpatientsin depression, crisis, orare suicidal, and their attitudes toward such individuals can be a key factor in the outcome of cases. OBJECTIVE: To verify students’ attitudes towards suicidal patients. Method: A cross-sectional study was developed in 2013 with students from the Barbacena University Medical School, in the state of Minas Gerais. The medical students were evaluated and divided into two groups: pre-clinical and post-clinical. The instrument used in this study was the Questionnaire on Attitudes towards Suicidal Behavior. RESULTS: Acomparison of the mean scores obtained in each group revealed a significant difference, with the higher score found among the post-clinical group (p=0.028). This finding indicates that students in the later periods of their course exhibit more positive attitudes towards suicide when compared to beginner medical students. CONCLUSION: It was noted that more contact with suicidal patients and greater theoretical knowledge about suicide and its determinants helped improve the students’ attitudes towards this issue.
Suicide; Students; Attitudes; Medicine; Medical Education
