Title: A Guide to Working Through the Grief After a Loss by Suicide | Everyday Health
Headings: A Guide to Working Through the Grief After a Loss by Suicide
Resilience Resource Center
A Guide to Working Through the Grief After a Loss by Suicide
Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One
Chapter 1: Understanding That Your Loved One’s Suicide Is Not Your Fault
Coping With the 'What Ifs?'
Make a List of the 'I Dids'
Chapter 2: Being Aware That Feelings of Shock Can Make Even Daily Tasks Challenging
Boxed In Episode 2: 'Managing Grief in the Time of Covid-19'
Chapter 3: Finding the Road to Healing After Facing a Loss by Suicide
Rely on Your Support System
Create a Support Map
Acknowledge and Accept Your Emotions
Seek Professional Help
Seek Out Other Survivors
Take Care of Yourself
Chapter 4: Learning How to Tackle the Harmful Stigma Surrounding Suicide
Watch Your Words
Share Your Story
Editor’s Picks on Suicide
The Moving Stories of 2 People Who’ve Faced Suicide
Suicides Tied to Parkland, Sandy Hook Show Lasting Effects of Mass Shootings
Deaths From Overdose and Suicide Surpass Those From Diabetes
How PTSD and Suicide Are Linked — and How to Find Help
Chapter 5: Knowing That Teens Are Affected by Suicide, Too
Talking to Teens About the Loss of a Friend by Suicide
6 Mental Health Issues From the TV Show ’13 Reasons Why’
Chapter 6: Recognizing the Prevalence of Suicide Among Men
Chapter 7: Turning to Religious Professionals for Help After Facing Loss by Suicide
Chapter 8: Understanding the Phenomenon of Suicide Contagion
Chapter 9: Helping a Friend Who Has Lost Someone They Love to Suicide
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Content: Grief is overwhelming at best, no matter the cause of death, but loss by suicide is particularly complicated. Survivors of loss by suicide face the same painful emotions as others who grieve a loss, but they also have to cope with messy and complicated emotions, like guilt, shame, and anger, to name a few. They are forced to confront the stigma associated with suicide every time they answer a question about their loss. It was 21 years ago that my father died by suicide, alone in his office on the last day of April. The initial shock that enabled me to go through the necessary steps to bid my father farewell was soon replaced with overwhelming feelings of guilt, despair, and utter disbelief. I was 23 years old at the time, and nearly one year into the master of social work program at the University of Pennsylvania. I knew the symptoms of depression and the warning signs for suicide, but I never saw it coming. He didn’t wave a single red flag before he died. I would grapple with that guilt for years to come. Recent data shows that suicide is the 10th leading cause of death overall in the United States, the second leading cause of death among individuals between ages 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death among individuals between ages 35 and 54. (