Practical intervention for suicide survivors

Abstract

The act of suicide and the consequential death provoke a lot of different emotions and reactions in those who used to be involved in the life of the deceased.

The group most affected by the aftermath of suicide are members of the family, but the same can be true with friends, colleagues, teachers, a therapist, if the person had been in treatment, and a general physician, who took care of his/her health. Who is suffering most and who needs most help can be different in every case, depending on the circumstances. Every suicide produces a unique emotional response in the bereaved survivors, ranging from desbelief, despair, sorrow, guilt, shame and anger, and this is why some of the survivors search professional help and support, either individual or in a group. This therapy has a dual purpose: first, it helps the individual or family to go through rather extreme and very difficult time while also getting more insight, understanding and accepting of their own feelings and reactions, and second, it presents a good example of practical prevention of further potential dysfunctioning of an individual or the family as a whole (e.g. suicide). Some practical examples of cases based on seventeen years of therapeutic work with suicide survivors will be discussed to show possibilities and limitations of such help.