Sequelae of bereavement resulting from suicide

Abstract

Although clinical experience suggests that individuals who have been bereaved as a result of suicide may be especially vulnerable to adverse sequelae, such as unusually severe grief or increased risk of committing suicide themselves, the idea that this type of bereavement is special has received only limited systematic investigation. The authors review the literature on the subject, with special attention to the clinical and research evidence about whether bereavement resulting from suicide is different from bereavement due to other types of death, and make suggestions for further clinical and epidemiological research on this question.

Family connections vs treatment at usual optimized in the treatment of relatives of people with suicidal behavior disorder: study protocol of a randomized control trial

“…Furthermore, it is difficult for family members to recognize suicide attempts, which makes prevention difficult [ 17 ]. Family members of people who have attempted suicide are at a high risk of having medical and psychological problems, and, more importantly, they have a higher risk of committing suicide [ 18 ]. They tend to report that they are not cared for adequately and that they need help and want to know and understand the treatments the patients receive [ 14 ], as well as the skills they may need to relate to them [ 19 ].…”