You may be overwhelmed by grief, but you don’t have to suffer alone. It’s important to know you deserve support. You can call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) if you have any warning signs, especially if a problem is making it hard for you to get through the day.
Someone you love has ended their own life — and yours is forever changed. You are a “survivor of suicide,” and as that unwelcome designation implies, your survival—your emotional survival—will depend on how well you learn to cope with your tragedy. The bad news: Surviving this will be the second worst experience of your life. The good news: The worst is already over. What you’re enduring is one of the most horrific ordeals possible in human experience.
In the weeks and months after a suicide, survivors ride a roller coaster of emotions unlike any other. Suicide is different. On top of all the grief that people experience after a “conventional” death, you must walk a gauntlet of guilt, confusion and emotional turmoil that is in many ways unique to survivors of suicide. “How long will it take to get over this?” you may ask yourself. The truth is that you will never “get over” it, but don’t let that thought discourage you. After all, what kind of people would we be if we truly got over it, as if it were something as trivial as a virus? Your hope lies in getting through it, putting your loss in its proper perspective, and accepting your life as it now lies before you, forever changed. If you can do that, the peace you seek will follow… Read more here: A Handbook for Survivors of Suicide by the American Association of Suicidology
We Can Help
We provide individual and group counseling for people who have lost a loved one to suicide. Our groups provide a safe, therapeutic environment for people to explore and process their feelings about having lost a loved one to suicide. To access the service call: 1-800-260-0094
Online Resource
“After a Suicide” is a portal linking people who are grieving after a death by suicide to an online directory of resources and information for helping them cope with their loss. The directory also lists items for people who want to offer support and assistance to the suicide bereaved.
