Experiencing a death by suicide can have a profound impact on those left behind. In addition to feelings of shock, guilt, anxiety, anger and rejection, they commonly struggle with daunting “why” questions that have no easy or consoling answers. People bereaved by suicide also present increased risks of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and suicidal behavior compared to other bereaved and non-bereaved counterparts. While most research in the field has focused on these adverse outcomes, there is a growing body of evidence that many of those experiencing this tragic loss also report posttraumatic growth—a positive psychological transformation that occurs through a process of meaning-making and struggling with a highly challenging and stressful event.
Informed by the literature and his own research, Karl offers a comprehensive conceptualization of grief after suicide in the context of contemporary grief models, and summarizes what is known about the efficacy of interventions provided to bereaved adults, distilling the ingredients of effective support in both personal and professional contexts. He then goes on to focus on the impact of suicide on family systems and how best to support young people attempting to move toward an adulthood shadowed by the experience of traumatic loss.
