Coping After A Suicide


Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group - Madison, NJ

"Just as with physical cancer, the person dying of suicide is taken out of this life against his or her will.

Death by suicide is the emotional equivalent of cancer, a stroke, or a heart attack. ...

Death can happen suddenly or it can be the end-product of a long struggle that slowly wears a person down.

Either way, it’s involuntary." ~ Fr. Ron Rolheiser, OMI

This website has many links and articles related to healing after the suicide of a loved one. Please take your time a wander around the site to find information that may be helpful to your healing. Here are some of the major topics covered.

  • When you have just lost someone to suicide it is hard to know where to begin to help yourself both understand suicide and how to heal after a suicide. Where to Begin After A Suicide

  • When a friend or family member has lost someone to suicide it is difficult to understand what they are going through and how you can help them. Here is a collection of information on How to Help A Survivor of Suicide

  • When you witness a suicide or discover a suicide the sights, sounds and smells are hard to get out of your mind. People often have flashbacks and strong memories about Witnessing or Discovering a Suicide

  • It is very common for survivors of suicide to feel guilty and to also feel shame from the suicide. Visit Dealing With Guilt and Shame for ideas how to heal.

  • About 30 - 40% of suicides leave a note behind. Often they can be hard to read and understand. For more insight about Understanding Suicide Notes

  • Here are some tips for survivors and others about the best way and language to help others understand suicide. How To Talk About Suicide

  • Grief from a suicide loss is more intense and unique compared to the traditional grief felt from the loss of a loved one. Here is information about Understanding Suicide Grief

  • How you grieve is dependent on the relationship you had with the deceased. Spouses, parents, children, friends, coworkers all grieve differently. Learn more about Grief Support for Specific Relationships

  • There is often a lot of confusion understanding how the various major religions view suicide and the burial of a person who has died by suicide. Here is information about Religion and Suicide.