A thematic content analysis of suicide notes from South Africa

Suicide remains a serious public health problem nationally and globally. Rates of completed suicide in South Africa are reported to be 13.25 per 100,000. Data are needed to assist in the understanding of suicide and to inform evidence-based prevention efforts. This article presents the first known thematic analysis of suicide notes from South Africa. A sample of 24 suicide notes was collected from three independent sites located in Johannesburg and Durban. Thematic analysis yielded 12 themes that showed marked similarity to themes reported in comparable international studies. Two themes – ‘Expressions of love and gratitude’ and ‘Concern for those left behind’ – were found to be unique in relation to the international literature. It is recommended that further research on suicide notes be conducted in South Africa, using a standard coding scheme.