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.

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