Surviving Suicide

Suicide is the act of terminating one’s own life owing to a number of factors: despair, stress and complications associated with interpersonal relationships. Empirical evidence has proved that on average suicide leaves at least six people suffering from the most painful grief and agony known to exist (Sexton 16). Pain and grief resulting from the loss of a loved one via suicide is rendered more complicated and traumatizing unlike dealing with a normal death. Suicide brings about a new group of people in the society commonly referred to as suicide survivors: Families, relatives and friends who lose their loved ones via suicide.

Suicide survivors experience a number of reactions; shock which goes hand in hand with emotional numbness, it becomes extremely hand to accept what has happened. Confusion, this owes to the fact that at least 47% of those who commit suicide do not leave notes behind; accepting the fact that one may never know the answer is a crucial part of the healing process. Grief, survivors may cry easily and more often (Berman 14). Despair, feeling of loss brings sadness and may erode appetite, energy level, sleep and relationships. Guilt, survivors find “if onlys” running in their mind, this may last for a long time which end up complicating the grief but at times, it is worth noting that very little could have been done to reverse the whole thing.

Experts say that people commit suicide in the attempt to getting rid of stress, emotional problems, depression, financial problems, health issues, abuse, poverty and every issue that is viewed by the victim as endless (Cavanaugh and Kail 13). The attitude of the victims towards life is entirely different from others and more often taking their own life is left as the only remedy to problems at hand.

Concisely, to nurture the healing, suicide survivors should not hesitate to seek help from medical practitioners or mental health professionals, this will help them improve and curb any problem that could have developed. Psychotherapy and counseling is a terrific help for the survivors to dealing with the crises they face. Suicide survivors should also come together and form support groups, which will make them, find their way through the maze of physical changes and emotions. Seeking help, talking to people and reading the available literature on suicide are significant milestones in ensuring that the survivors get their life back.