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• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Help and information through the internet >> Help and information through the internet

Help and information through the internet

 

Many people who seek health information and support now use the internet, and this was a source of comfort and reassurance for many of the people we talked to. However, detailed dramatic reports of suicide, particularly of celebrities, may make others think about doing likewise. Thus the internet could have a negative effect, particularly on those who have already attempted suicide.

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• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Alex - Interview 3 >> Alex and Felicity received the news that Alice had died in the middle of the night. The police handled the situation with great sensitivity.

Felicity and Alex had a daughter, Alice, who diagnosed with depression and then bipolar disorder. In 2004, aged 22, she killed herself. Alex felt that the role he took supporting others helped him to cope with the “fearful shock” of her suicide.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Patricia - Interview 4 >> When Patricia heard the news of Andrew’s death she wished a second police officer, perhaps a woman, had been there to offer her some human contact.

Patricia’s husband, Andrew, had had depression for years. A number of times he had taken an overdose or tried to gas himself and then sought help. In 1994 he died in a car, due to carbon monoxide poisoning. Patricia found support via Cruse & SOBS.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Margaret - Interview 40 >> Two policemen arrived at the house and told Margaret that her daughter had died. She was so shocked that she found it hard to understand what they wer

Margaret’s daughter was in prison when she took her own life. Margaret was shocked by the news. The inquest found that there had been a lack of care while her daughter was in prison. Margaret found support from her dog, friends, SOBS & a counsellor.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Kate - Interview 7 >> The police arrived at the house and told Kate that Anna had died. Kate’s other daughter, Izzy, had died by suicide only months earlier, so this was pa

Kate’s life has been devastated by the deaths of two of her daughters. They took their own lives by hanging, in 2006 & 2007. Kate has had support from family, friends and the church and says that answering emails from members of POS has also helped.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a parent >> Mike - Interview 9 >> When Mike was only 18 a young and inexperienced policeman arrived at the house and told him and his sister that their father had died.

In 1972, when Mike was aged 18, his father took his own life. He died in his car by inhaling fumes from the exhaust. His death has had a huge impact on Mike’s life. Mike has done much to help others bereaved due to suicide, which has also helped him.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Dolores - Interview 29 >> Dolores had not been told how serious her husband’s injuries were before she arrived at the hospital, and she had to wait sometime before staff treati

Dolores’ husband, Steve, developed mental health problems soon after their baby was born. He fell from a bridge in 2005 and died soon afterwards. Dolores felt distraught and very sad. She has found help though a psychologist, and SOBS, and web sites.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Lucy - Interview 38 >> At first Lucy thought her partner’s death had been an accident, but about a week later she found a message on her computer suggesting that Darrell had

Lucy’s partner, Darrell, committed suicide in 2005. He drove his car in front of a train. He had been depressed but his suicide was a complete shock to Lucy. She has found support through family and friends and via an online group, Widowed by Suicide.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Dolores - Interview 29 >> Dolores’ two-year-old son has some understanding of death. She will tell him more about the way her husband died when she feels that the time is right

Dolores’ husband, Steve, developed mental health problems soon after their baby was born. He fell from a bridge in 2005 and died soon afterwards. Dolores felt distraught and very sad. She has found help though a psychologist, and SOBS, and web sites.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Bob - Interview 17 >> Bob’s granddaughter was four when his son died. She was told that he had died and she went to the funeral. When she was older, aged about ten, she was

In 1998 Bob’s son, Darren, died while on holiday in France. He died by hanging and the French police were sure it was suicide. Bob and his wife were shocked. They have found support via Compassionate Friends, SOBS and the internet group Parents of Suicide.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Paula - Interview 28 >> Paula told her five-year-old daughter that her father had died through illness. Sometime later she told her about the suicide. Paula thinks it is impo

Paula’s husband had been depressed for a number of years. In 2005 he took his own life by hanging. This was a huge shock to Paula. She had weekly counselling for 6 months. Since then she has also found the WAY foundation very helpful and supportive.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Helen - Interview 6 >> Helen’s grandchildren asked many questions about their Aunt Charlotte’s death. As they get older they will be told more. Helen thinks children should

Helen’s daughter, Charlotte, had mental health problems. When Charlotte was 30 she was found dead in her flat. She may have taken an overdose or may have taken her own life. Helen has been well supported. She also finds comfort by helping homeless people.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Stephen - Interview 31 >> Stephen’s daughters were four and six when his wife died. At first he told them that their mother had been extremely ill, and that the illness in her

In June 2006 Stephen returned home to find his wife, Gill, hanging in the hallway. She had been diagnosed with severe depression. Stephen found help from family, friends & Cruse. His daughters have been helped by the Charity, See Saw.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Stephen - Interview 31 >> About a year after his wife’s suicide, when Stephen’s eldest daughter asked questions about her mother’s death, Stephen told both the girls in more de

In June 2006 Stephen returned home to find his wife, Gill, hanging in the hallway. She had been diagnosed with severe depression. Stephen found help from family, friends & Cruse. His daughters have been helped by the Charity, See Saw.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Linda - Interview 35 >> Linda’s ten-year-old daughter was angry because she hadn’t immediately been told the truth about her sister’s death. Linda promised she would be hones

In 2005 Linda’s 13 year old daughter took her own life. Linda and her family were shocked. Linda still feels devastated, but more in control, and is back at work. She has found help thought a psychologist and has attended a SOBS conference.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Jacqui - Interview 30 >> After Mike died Jacqui told the children that their dad had died. The next day she told them that he had committed suicide. They listened quietly to w

Jacqui’s husband, Mike, had had mental health problems for some time. In 2006 Jacqui came home to find that Mike had died by suicide. He had hung himself. Jacqui has had counselling and has started her own email support group, Widowed by Suicide Support.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Marion - Interview 32 >> Marion called a friend to help her calm her ten-year-old son after she had told him the terrible news that his father had died. Her son was hysterica

Marion’s husband took his own life in 1996. He had taken alcohol and analgesics and died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Marion and their four children were shocked and devastated. They found support from SOBS, professional counselling and Noah’s Ark.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Jane - Interview 13 >> The grandchildren discussed their uncle’s death with other young members of the family, who then asked unexpected questions. Jane answered questions a

In 1984 Jane and Maurice’s son Tom took his own life by hanging. Jane and Maurice were shocked and devastated. Jane found support from friends. Counselling and a support group were also helpful.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Arthur - Interview 27 >> The policeman was very patient and took his time getting the information he needed from Arthur at a time when Arthur was still feeling shocked by his

Arthur’s son, Leon, had mental health problems. In 1991, Leon took his own life, in a fume filled car. This was a devastating shock to Arthur. Arthur helped to start the organisation, Papyrus, to try to prevent other young suicides.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Dolores - Interview 29 >> Dolores knows that all the members of her internet support group have been widowed by suicide but appreciates the anonymity and doesn’t think she need

Dolores’ husband, Steve, developed mental health problems soon after their baby was born. He fell from a bridge in 2005 and died soon afterwards. Dolores felt distraught and very sad. She has found help though a psychologist, and SOBS, and web sites.