The After- Effects of Suicide on Survivors
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) every 13 minutes a suicide occurs in the United States. This resulted in over 40,000 deaths in 2013(CDC, 2013). Each suicide victim leaves behind anywhere from 6 to almost 30 people who will be affected by their actions. Until recently, suicide bereavement was understudied and poorly understood. Current research focused on questioning survivors in order to understand the causes of suicide but did not study the affect suicide was having on the survivors themselves. Given the magnitude of people, both young and old, affected by suicide it is extremely important to question and then investigate: what exactly are the repercussions to suicide …show more content…
Unfortunately, since this population has historically been ignored, there are very few studies of interventions that are specifically designed to help suicide survivors. However, there are treatments developed to help manage CG and PTSD. The first step is to help suicide survivors who suffer from PTSD deal with the de-habilitating effects. They need to learn first to cope with the flashbacks and then confront their “avoidance” of things having to do with the deceased. Therapy for this alone is the subject of many studies, due to the growing population of returned combat veterans who suffer from PTSD (Jordan, …show more content…
They found that it is important for the surviving parent/caregiver to help the child maintain a positive bond with the deceased parent. They should talk about the deceased (good memories), participate in memorial activities, and give the surviving children objects that belonged to the deceased parent. It is important, regardless of age, to tell children about parental suicide in an open, honest, and age appropriate manner. Equally important is the need for the surviving parent to help answer the children’s questions as they arise (Hung, p.795). While many researchers felt that children would benefit from a support group for suicide- bereaved children, they felt that they needed individual therapy as well. It is important to address a child’s grief. However, it is initially more important to treat the manifestations of grief such: as CG, PTSD, depression and anxiety, when they occur (Hung,
According to the Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) every 13 minutes a suicide occurs in the United States. This resulted in over 40,000 deaths in 2013(CDC, 2013). Each suicide victim leaves behind anywhere from 6 to almost 30 people who will be affected by their actions. Until recently, suicide bereavement was understudied and poorly understood. Current research focused on questioning survivors in order to understand the causes of suicide but did not study the affect suicide was having on the survivors themselves. Given the magnitude of people, both young and old, affected by suicide it is extremely important to question and then investigate: what exactly are the repercussions to suicide …show more content…
Unfortunately, since this population has historically been ignored, there are very few studies of interventions that are specifically designed to help suicide survivors. However, there are treatments developed to help manage CG and PTSD. The first step is to help suicide survivors who suffer from PTSD deal with the de-habilitating effects. They need to learn first to cope with the flashbacks and then confront their “avoidance” of things having to do with the deceased. Therapy for this alone is the subject of many studies, due to the growing population of returned combat veterans who suffer from PTSD (Jordan, …show more content…
They found that it is important for the surviving parent/caregiver to help the child maintain a positive bond with the deceased parent. They should talk about the deceased (good memories), participate in memorial activities, and give the surviving children objects that belonged to the deceased parent. It is important, regardless of age, to tell children about parental suicide in an open, honest, and age appropriate manner. Equally important is the need for the surviving parent to help answer the children’s questions as they arise (Hung, p.795). While many researchers felt that children would benefit from a support group for suicide- bereaved children, they felt that they needed individual therapy as well. It is important to address a child’s grief. However, it is initially more important to treat the manifestations of grief such: as CG, PTSD, depression and anxiety, when they occur (Hung,