Suicide and Grief

Anyone who has suffered a loss may experience the five stages of grief:

• Denial – An inability to accept what has happened. It is common to feel that what happened is all just a bad dream.
• Anger – Wondering why this is happening feeling that life is unfair.
• Bargaining – Attempting to negotiate for an extended life by making promises.
• Depression – Feeling too sad to do anything; sorrow comes to the forefront.
• Acceptance – Coming to terms with and accepting what has happened.

Not everyone will experience all five stages, and the stages may be experienced in any order.

In addition to the stages of grief, the suicide survivor may face a unique set of emotions, including:

• Guilt – Feeling that they could have recognized the signs or done something to prevent the suicide
• Shame – Feeling ashamed about the suicide and unsure of what to tell people about what happened
• Resentment – Feeling resentment toward the deceased for leaving and for causing pain
• Relief – Feeling relieved about no longer having to worry about the deceased
• Disconnection – An inability to think about happy memories of the deceased and to understand their choices
• Confusion – Questioning the reason for suicide and asking “Why?”