Suicide bereavement

Suicide bereavement is the experience of those who are grieving the loss of someone to suicide.^[1] Over 800,000 individuals die by suicide every year. It was stated by Shneidman (1978) that every suicide leaves behind 6 "survivor-victims". However, new research shows that each suicide leaves behind approximately 135 who personally knew the decedent.^[2] The #not6 hashtag has been used by Cerel and colleagues to represent that suicide bereavement is many more than publicly portrayed.

Individuals experiencing suicide bereavement experience different challenges than those otherwise bereaved. Across 41 studies that examined these differences, the suicide bereaved experienced higher levels of blaming, stigma, shame and rejection.^[3] Those who lose someone to suicide may experience delays in the healing process.^[3]