• Topic
• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Changing emotions-sadness, guilt & anger >> Changing emotions-sadness, guilt & anger

Changing emotions-sadness, guilt & anger

 

When people first heard about their loved one’s suicide they usually felt shocked, as well as many other emotions (see ‘First reactions-shock, disbelief, despair & relief’). Margaret described bereavement by suicide as a “big open wound”.

 

It has been suggested that there are four “tasks” of mourning, and that over time people need to accept the reality of their loss, allow time to experience feelings and emotions, adjust to life without the dead person, and “move on” with life. However, grieving individuals may not go through these stages and those who do may not undertake them in a fixed order. Indeed, one of the men we talked to who had lost his wife argued that the notion of “stages of grief” is a “load of rubbish”.

• Clip
• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Susan - Interview 20 >> Her daughter left a note which the police took and gave to the coroner. She was angry that she did not have a chance to read it carefully until after

In 2005, Susan’s daughter, Rose, took her own life. She shot herself. Rose had had anorexia and then depression, and was later thought to have bipolar disorder. Susan feels angry because she believes that NHS psychiatric services were inadequate.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Linda - Interview 35 >> At first Linda thought it was horrible that her daughter looked so pale and lifeless. However, Linda went to see Chloe a few times before the funeral

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 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 >> 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 >> Lucreta - Interview 39 >> A welfare officer at work told Lucreta that she had to go to the mortuary to identify a body. Lucreta was shocked to discover that her daughter, Dionn

In 1996, Lucreta’s daughter, Dionne (also called Dominique), jumped to her death. She was 18 when she died. Lucreta had no idea that Dionne had been so unhappy, and was shocked by her death. Lucreta has found support from friends, her church, her GP, and counsellors.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Susan - Interview 20 >> Two years after Rose died Susan started to clear up her room and sort out her things. She found diaries and journals that ‘tore her apart’.

In 2005, Susan’s daughter, Rose, took her own life. She shot herself. Rose had had anorexia and then depression, and was later thought to have bipolar disorder. Susan feels angry because she believes that NHS psychiatric services were inadequate.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a brother or sister >> Jasvinder - Interview 18 >> Jasvinder felt perturbed because the funeral took place at the house where her sister had taken her own life. A Sikh priest spoke and the female mourn

Jasvinder’s sister, Robina, died in 1987 from burns. She had an unhappy marriage and told her husband she was going to take her own life. Jasvinder has kept her sister’s memory alive by setting up Karma Nirvana, a project that advocates for Asian people.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Lucreta - Interview 39 >> After Dominique died Lucreta found it therapeutic to write down her feelings and express her anger. She wrote a book about her daughter’s death.

In 1996, Lucreta’s daughter, Dionne (also called Dominique), jumped to her death. She was 18 when she died. Lucreta had no idea that Dionne had been so unhappy, and was shocked by her death. Lucreta has found support from friends, her church, her GP, and counsellors.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Kate - Interview 7 >> About five months after Anna died and seven months after Izzy died Kate went back to her work as a nurse. Helping others made her feel stronger.

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 child >> Helen - Interview 6 >> After Charlotte died 3 years ago Helen lost her sense of security and felt anxious about everything. She says that she is nearly back to “normal” now.

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 brother or sister >> Nina - Interview 11 >> Nina used to think about her brother’s death all the time. She will always miss him but she is feeling happier now than she ever thought would be poss

In 1999, Nina was shocked to hear that her brother, Joe, was in intensive care. He was aged 16. He had been found unconscious, hanging from a tree. He died three days later. Nina has found most support from friends, family, counsellors and SOBS.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Colin - Interview 24 >> Colin couldn’t listen to New Orleans piano jazz for years. It reminded him of Matt. This year, 15 years after his son’s death, he has been able to lis

Colin & Barbara’s son, Matt, found his first job as a junior doctor very stressful. In 1992 Matt was found dead in a crashed car; probably due to suicide. He was aged 24. Colin & Barbara were devastated. Colin found help from friends and family.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Stephen - Interview 31 >> Stephen was devastated when his wife died but now, almost two years later, he feels happier than he has ever been before.

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 >> Lucreta - Interview 39 >> Lucreta can now live without feeling guilty, without blaming herself for something that happened that was beyond her control. Life is good again.

In 1996, Lucreta’s daughter, Dionne (also called Dominique), jumped to her death. She was 18 when she died. Lucreta had no idea that Dionne had been so unhappy, and was shocked by her death. Lucreta has found support from friends, her church, her GP, and counsellors.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Marion - Interview 32 >> Marion finds the idea of the future without her husband quite frightening.

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 >> Amanda - Interview 5 >> On Lori’s birthday Amanda and her family and friends had a party at the cemetery. On the anniversary of his death they had a party and launched a fire

In 2005 Amanda’s son, Lori, took his own life. He was 21. Amanda thinks that sexual abuse may have been a reason for his suicide. She has found support via family, friends, church, internet [POS], Compassionate Friends, Papyrus, and psychotherapy.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Lucreta - Interview 39 >> The weeks before Christmas are difficult weeks for Lucreta. She grieves for her daughter when others are shopping and exchanging cards. All family occ

In 1996, Lucreta’s daughter, Dionne (also called Dominique), jumped to her death. She was 18 when she died. Lucreta had no idea that Dionne had been so unhappy, and was shocked by her death. Lucreta has found support from friends, her church, her GP, and counsellors.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a parent >> Lynne - Interview 26 >> Lynne urges others not to be hard on themselves. When someone has a mental health problem the sustained pressure on the family can be forgotten after

In 1981, when Lynne was 19, her mother drowned in the bath at home. It seems that she took her own life. Lynne felt her mother had been let down by the professionals who had been involved in her care. She has found support from friends & colleagues.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a parent >> Mike - Interview 9 >> Mike recommends Alison Wertheimer's book “A Special Scar”. It helped him understand emotions and feelings around suicide [see Resources].

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 parent >> Gillian - Interview 37 >> Gillian’s father was in pain and distressed towards the end of his life. His death, by assisted suicide, was in some ways welcomed by his family.

Gillian’s father, aged 84, had an incurable disease. His motor neurone function was getting progressively worse. He needed constant care, and wanted an assisted death. In 2008 his family took him to Switzerland, where Dignitas helped him to die.

• 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 child >> Susan - Interview 20 >> Susan found Rose a few moments after she had shot herself. Rose was in the house upstairs when she took her own life.

In 2005, Susan’s daughter, Rose, took her own life. She shot herself. Rose had had anorexia and then depression, and was later thought to have bipolar disorder. Susan feels angry because she believes that NHS psychiatric services were inadequate.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Jacqui - Interview 30 >> Jacqui found a note on the dining room table before she found her husband’s body. Then she found him hanging. She found it hard to believe he was dead

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 child >> Margaret - Interview 40 >> Any death is likely to be a shock but Margaret believes that bereavement due to suicide adds “another layer of shock”. Her daughter died in prison, “

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 >> Helen - Interview 6 >> Helen had half expected her daughter to take an overdose for a long time before it happened but her initial reaction to her death was still one of sho

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 brother or sister >> Nina - Interview 11 >> Nina felt breathless and collapsed when she heard that her brother was in intensive care. After he died she felt she was on “autopilot” and was exhaus

In 1999, Nina was shocked to hear that her brother, Joe, was in intensive care. He was aged 16. He had been found unconscious, hanging from a tree. He died three days later. Nina has found most support from friends, family, counsellors and SOBS.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Colin - Interview 24 >> After his son died, Colin experienced what he called “painful grief”. He found it difficult to speak and had a series of alarming nightmares.

Colin & Barbara’s son, Matt, found his first job as a junior doctor very stressful. In 1992 Matt was found dead in a crashed car; probably due to suicide. He was aged 24. Colin & Barbara were devastated. Colin found help from friends and family.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Arthur - Interview 27 >> When Leon died Arthur felt as though he had a terrible weight in the centre of his chest. Time stood still and nothing seemed to be important.

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 child >> Maurice - Interview 14 >> Maurice wanted to know why his son had taken his life. He wondered if he could have altered the circumstances that led to Tom’s death.

In 1984 Maurice and Jane’s son Tom took his own life by hanging. Jane and Maurice were shocked and devastated. Maurice found most support from friends and colleagues. The local vicar has also been helpful.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a friend >> Michael - Interview 16 >> Michael felt desperately upset that something so awful had happened. He did not blame himself but he wondered why his friend hadn’t asked him for help

Michael was aged 29 when his friend took his own life. It was in 1994 when his friend died in a fume filled garage. At the time Michael took time off work and found most support by talking to his friends and by supporting others who were grieving.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a parent >> Mike - Interview 9 >> Mike was only 18 when his father took his own life by suicide. Mike felt tremendous grief. He also felt despair, sorrow, perplexity and anger.

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 brother or sister >> Jasvinder - Interview 18 >> Jasvinder felt she should have done more to help her sister but she couldn’t because her family had disowned her.

Jasvinder’s sister, Robina, died in 1987 from burns. She had an unhappy marriage and told her husband she was going to take her own life. Jasvinder has kept her sister’s memory alive by setting up Karma Nirvana, a project that advocates for Asian people.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a parent >> Lynne - Interview 26 >> Lynne loved her mother, but having spent about ten years helping her mother live with mental illness Lynne says that she almost felt a sense of relief

In 1981, when Lynne was 19, her mother drowned in the bath at home. It seems that she took her own life. Lynne felt her mother had been let down by the professionals who had been involved in her care. She has found support from friends & colleagues.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Helen - Interview 6 >> Helen also felt a sense of relief when Charlotte died. She says that it’s an awful thing to think and even worse to voice but she did experience that

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 suggests that grieving is not a linear process but is more like a “spiral”.

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 parent >> Mike - Interview 9 >> Mike lost his father over 30 years ago but it still feels very recent in his mind. He does not think he will ever fully adjust to his father’s death b

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 child >> Dave - Interview 34 >> Four years on Dave no longer thinks about his son every second but every hour. The “weight” of losing Ben can hit at any time and it’s always as bad a

Dave’s son, Ben, was aged 21 when he developed mental health problems. In 2003 Ben took his own life by crashing his car. Dave was devastated. He has found some help for his grief by seeing a psychiatrist and by going to Compassionate Friends.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Dolores - Interview 29 >> Dolores lost her husband in 2005. She still feels desperately sad, mainly because her young son will never know his father.

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 brother or sister >> Steve - Interview 25 >> Steve often feels guilty. He thinks he could have done more to prevent his sister’s suicide. Now he feels guilty if he allows himself to feel happy.

Steve’s sister took her own life in 2006. She stepped in front of a train. She had had mental health problems for many years but was not receiving the care she needed at the time of her death. Steve was devastated. He has found most support from SOBS.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a child >> Jane - Interview 13 >> Jane felt guilty for years. She only started to feel better when she decided to carry a bit of the responsibility for Tom’s death.

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 partner, husband or wife >> Stuart - Interview 22 >> Stuart kept wondering if he could have done things differently He also feels guilty because he found it hard to cry after Anne died.

Stuart had been separated from his partner, Anne, for 13 months, but saw her and their son regularly. He was deeply saddened when she took her own life by carbon monoxide poisoning in 2005. He feels isolated but has found help for his grief in many ways.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a friend >> Ann - Interview 10 >> Ann became very depressed after her friend died. She took antidepressants for 18 months which helped her feel much better after 4-5 weeks.

Ann’s friend died in 2003. It appears that her friend died from an overdose and exposure. Ann has found support through her faith in God, from counselling & from her GP. She has set up a support group for others, linked to SOBS. She finds this comforting.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a friend >> Michael - Interview 16 >> Michael was depressed and cried a great deal after his friend died. Eventually he started to feel better and he went back to work after about 10 weeks

Michael was aged 29 when his friend took his own life. It was in 1994 when his friend died in a fume filled garage. At the time Michael took time off work and found most support by talking to his friends and by supporting others who were grieving.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a parent >> Ted - Interview 19 >> After a year of intense grief Ted only felt anger with his father for what his father had done.

Ted was 12 years old when his father took his own life by hanging. Ted’s family found it hard to talk about it and Ted lacked information. He felt intense grief during that first year. Ted has found help by researching his father’s life and through SOBS.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a parent >> Lynne - Interview 26 >> At times Lynne feels sad and angry that her mother has not been there to share the important occasions in her life. However, Lynne knows that her moth

In 1981, when Lynne was 19, her mother drowned in the bath at home. It seems that she took her own life. Lynne felt her mother had been let down by the professionals who had been involved in her care. She has found support from friends & colleagues.

• 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 wanted Steve’s clothes returned. She was upset when she heard they had been incinerated. She was also upset when the policeman returned Steve’

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 >> 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 partner, husband or wife >> Marion - Interview 32 >> A policeman told Marion her husband was dead but he did not offer enough help. She felt that he was treating Graham like “a bit of paperwork”.

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 partner, husband or wife >> Jenny - Interview 1 >> Jenny felt stunned and numb for a while after David’s death.

Jenny’s husband had had episodes of depression. In 2007 he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Five days later he took his own life. Jenny has had support from family, friends, the WAY foundation and Cruse. Her baby is also a great comfort to her.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Jenny - Interview 1 >> Jenny explains why she prefers to cry alone. Other people expect her to feel better after she has been crying but often she doesn’t.

Jenny’s husband had had episodes of depression. In 2007 he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Five days later he took his own life. Jenny has had support from family, friends, the WAY foundation and Cruse. Her baby is also a great comfort to her.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Jenny - Interview 1 >> Jenny saw her husband’s body at the hospital. She stayed with him for almost an hour. She found it upsetting yet comforting. She says that people shou

Jenny’s husband had had episodes of depression. In 2007 he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder. Five days later he took his own life. Jenny has had support from family, friends, the WAY foundation and Cruse. Her baby is also a great comfort to her.

• 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 partner, husband or wife >> Patricia - Interview 4 >> A speaker at a conference organised by Cruse told Patricia that after all she had been through he would expect her to feel a sense of relief, as well

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 >> Amanda - Interview 5 >> It took Amanda a long time to accept that her son’s death was not her fault.

In 2005 Amanda’s son, Lori, took his own life. He was 21. Amanda thinks that sexual abuse may have been a reason for his suicide. She has found support via family, friends, church, internet [POS], Compassionate Friends, Papyrus, and psychotherapy.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Stephen - Interview 31 >> Stephen’s first reaction to his wife’s death was one of horror. He was devastated. He screamed and screamed when he found her hanging.

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 >> Amanda - Interview 5 >> Amanda had never seen a dead body before so before she saw her son she felt worried. It was a shock because he didn’t really look like Lori, but she’s

In 2005 Amanda’s son, Lori, took his own life. He was 21. Amanda thinks that sexual abuse may have been a reason for his suicide. She has found support via family, friends, church, internet [POS], Compassionate Friends, Papyrus, and psychotherapy.

• Dying & bereavement >> Bereavement due to suicide >> Lost a partner, husband or wife >> Jacqui - Interview 30 >> Jacqui’s husband worried about everything: he had been diagnosed with depression and anxiety.

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 child >> Linda - Interview 35 >> Linda can think of no reason for her daughter’s suicide. Chloe’s death shocked the family completely.

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 child >> Bob - Interview 17 >> Bob had no idea that his son, Darren, was depressed. Bob thinks that Darren may have found it hard to express his emotions because of the British atti

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.