What are some of the needs of Suicide Survivors?
Let us be who we've become -- people changed by tragedy. Just try to "be there" and support whatever form our grief takes. Trying to understand is okay, but just caring is enough. Realize that you can't pos-sibly relate to what we are ex-periencing. You don't have to.
Mourning a death by suicide is a lengthy, intense and confusing process. It is also unique; each of us experiences grief in our own way.
Because suicide is a sudden, unexpected and often violent loss, the grief it causes is excruciating, prolonged, and still often stigmatized. This may cause us to withdraw socially. We may even feel responsible for our loss. Those who witness the suicide or find the body may suffer post traumatic stress.
We don't "get over" a suicide. The effects may stabilize, but the loss is forever felt. Our personal values and beliefs are shattered and we are changed emotionally.
Every suicide survivor needs im-mediate support at the time of the loss. Individualized or family coun-seling, medical care, and parti-cipation in on-going support groups can be extremely helpful.
To read a heartbreaking first-hand account of the aftermath of a loved one's suicide, click HERE.
Suicide Survivors
"There are always two parties to a death; the person who dies and the survivors who are bereaved."
-Arnold Toynbee
A suicide survivor is an individual who has lost someone he/she cared for deeply to suicide. The victim may have been a parent, child, spouse, sibling, other relative, partner, or friend. It is estimated that every suicide leaves six to eight "survivors."
More YouTube Videos:
Dedicated to Suicide Survivor's
Katie Couric's Notebook: Teen Suicide
National Survivor's of Suicide Day
Lidia's Story: Suicide Loss Survivor
Clip from AFSP's National Survivors of Suicide Day Program (2009)
"One often calms one's grief by recounting it." ~ Pierre Corneille
It's okay to talk about "it" because that's all that's on our minds. Let any statements we make about respon-sibility, blame, or guilt just flow. It will sort itself out over time. Please mention our loved one, whether it was a child, spouse, sibling, parent or other loved one. Avoid setting any timetable for recovery as there isn't any.
Some suicide survivors find it uncomfortable to speak about the loss. With this in mind, it's wise simply to ask, "How are you feeling? Can we talk about it?" And then be willing to listen.
Taken in part from lifegard.tripod.com.
Suicide Survivors
SOMEONE YOU LOVE HAS ENDED THEIR OWN LIFE – and YOURS IS FOREVER CHANGED
Why do we use the term "survivor" when we lose someone to suicide? Because mourning a death by suicide is a much more intense and confusing process than mourning a death from natural causes. Words are completely inadequate to describe the raw, painful emotions of confusion, guilt, possible anger and depression, but ac-cepting them as part of the grieving process is essential. How well we learn to survive our loss depends on how well we learn to cope. With hard work and support we can eventually find our way through the unbearable pain and towards a place of acceptance. This web site is filled with ways to help.
What is Grief? | Everyone Grieves Differently | Myths and Facts about Grief | Are There Stages of Grief? | How Stressful is a Suicide? | Grief Can Be a Roller Coaster | Common Symptoms of Grief | Coping with Grief and Loss | When Grief Doesn’t Go Away | Complicated Grief | The Difference Between Grief and Depression | Can Antidepressants Help Grief? | When to Seek Professional Help for Grief | The Work of Grief | Am I Going Crazy? | Healing After a Loved One’s Suicide | How to Grieve When You Need to Work, Care, Give and Live | Keeping Busy-Exhausting and Not Emotionally Helpful | Mourning is Lifelong | Helping a Surivor Heal | Grief and How to Deal With it, A No-Nonsense Approach | Elder Suicide |
FIND SOLACE in a SURVIVOR SUPPORT GROUP
Making sense of a suicide is an emotional journey. Support groups are a form of mutual self-help where those bereaved share their experiences dealing with their loss. Groups may be peer-led by a volunteer who is also a survivor or they may be professionally lead. In a safe, supportive environment, survivors learn that they are not alone as they share their stories and learn from others.
What is a Suicide Grief Support Group? | NAMI Northern Region | NAMI Salt Lake Valley | NAMI Provo | Grief Support Groups | Children’s Grief Support Groups
OTHER EXCELLENT WEB SITES
Click HERE
PERSONAL STORIES from SUICIDE SURVIVORS
Silent Siblings: A Personal Story | Grief as a Transformation: A Mother’s Story | Suicide and Healing: A Father’s Story | Christa’s Story: A Sibling’s Story | Sam's Story: Remembering a Friend | I Was Saved, He Was Not: A Sibling's Story | A Spouse's Story: Me Darlin' Ariel If you would like to share the story of your loss, please submit it here to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
SUICIDE SURVIVOR HANDBOOK
SUICIDE SURVIVOR BROCHURE
Click HERE for for a one-page version.
COMMEMORATE with ONLINE MEMORIALS
Celebrate your loved ones here by emailing completed PDF's to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Create them any way you want by sharing photos, funny stories, poetry, and memories. Click HERE to read the Memorials.
SIGN UP for SURVIVOR'S E-NEWS
Send your name and e-mail address to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and receive Survivor Updates, information on events, etc.
HOW WE MAKE IT THROUGH the ANNIVERSARIES
Birthdays, holidays and anniversaries can be very challenging because they are filled with emotional triggers making the absence feel even greater. Have you created new traditions or maintained the old? Do you include an extra setting at the holiday table, continue to make a favorite birthday meal, or simply spend some time in quiet remembrance? Share the the ways that you honor your loved ones on these days by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and they will be posted here.
Click HERE for stories.
BOOKS that HELP
Click HERE
POETRY for COMMISERATION and INSPIRATION
Click HERE
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