Suicide

When a loved-one commits suicide, you may feel a surprising range of emotions, beyond straightforward grief. Some people are angry with the person who took their own life, while others feel abandoned by them.

The usual pain of having lost someone is accompanied by the additional sadness that they chose to end to their own life – a fact that makes trying to “process” their death and move on from it significantly harder. Many people end up totally repressing the hurt a suicide has caused them, and may never be comfortable talking about the person again.

Awareness and understanding of suicide has increased hugely in recent years compared to the past, and society in general is more forgiving. However, much of the new attention has been focused on addressing people who are in danger of committing suicide, and there are still comparatively few dedicated resources for the survivors following the suicide of a relative or friend. However, the NHS does have guidance for people in this position, which can be accessed online here:

www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Suicide/Pages/Bereavementtips.aspx

Although we tend to think of the Samaritans as volunteers who help people in despair, they also offer help with bereavement.