For Survivors of Suicide Loss
You have been through the traumatic experience of losing a loved one to suicide. This will stay with you forever. Suicide loss can feel differently than losing a family member in another way.
Guilt – You may feel as if you could have stopped the
suicide.
Stigma – Society still attaches a stigma of shame to
suicide.
Anger – You may feel anger toward the person you lost, as
they are also the murderer of the person you loved.
Disconnection – You may feel disconnected from the
person you lost and their memories because they made a
choice to end their life.
The American Association of Suicidology has a handbook for Survivors of Suicide. You can find out how to explain suicide to children, the stages of grief, about battling guilt, acceptance, moving on, ways to get support, and more.
Ashley lost a close friend to suicide. You can hear her tell Dawson about her loss here.