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Some Common Survivor Responses

• A struggle to make sense of suicide
• Anger
• Guilt over failed responsibilities, real or imagined
• Isolation caused by a sense of self-imposed shame
• Aloneness when others keep their distance
• Blame towards those perceived to have contributed to the suicide
• Awkwardness when others don't know how to respond
• Having to face the traumatic and sometimes unexpected nature of the death
• Difficulty accepting that the death was by suicide
• Fear that powerful grief reactions may not be normal
• Remorse over lost opportunity

What Helps and Heals Survivors?

• Acknowledge that the death is a suicide
• Learn more about suicide and grief
• Acknowledge our feelings and our loss
• Find formal and informal rituals to honor the loved one's life
• Call upon our personal strengths and ways of coping from other difficult times
• Read, write, express your grief in a way and at a time and place that is comfortable for you
• Find other suicide survivors, share your story and build mutual support
• Understanding and thoughtful offers of support from others