Suicide: A Crisis for the Whole Family; Should Suicide Survivors Be Managed Differently? (From Preventing Youth Suicide, P 279-288, 1992, Sandra McKillop, ed. - See NCJ- 139013)

• NCJ Number: 139030
• Author(s): P Baume
• Date Published: 1992
• Length: 10 pages
• Sale Source: Australian Institute of Criminology
• Publication Type: Program Description (Demonstrative)
• Language: English
• Country: Australia

Annotation

Survivors of suicide experience the feelings associated with any serious loss -- sadness at the tragedy and anger at the person who died -- as well as consequences unique to suicide including a search for explanation; feelings of guilt, responsibility, shame, stigmatization, and rejection; loss of social support; and self-destructive behavior.

Abstract

The survivors experience guilt stemming from two major sources: a sense of responsibility that this could have been prevented or a sense of relief that the strained relationship has ended. Many survivors tend to blame or scapegoat someone for the suicide. Postvention are the efforts taken to reduce some of the possible harmful effects of suicide on the survivors. These include counseling, debriefing, journaling, team meetings, and suicide survivors' support groups. Postvention efforts may be designed differently for parent survivors who have strong feelings of guilt and powerlessness for not having protected their child. The local coroner's office can help reach a large number of survivors through psychological autopsies and interviews. 30 references