A suicide survivor or survivor of suicide is one of the family and friends of someone who has died by
suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...
.
Given the social stigma associated with suicide, suicide survivors are often unable to cope with their loss and
grief
Grief is the response to loss, particularly to the loss of someone or some living thing that has died, to which a bond or affection was formed. Although conventionally focused on the emotional response to loss, grief also has physical, cogni ...
using normal support systems, and are "forced into a privatized and individualistic mode of grieving," making the healing process even more difficult.
Estimates are that for every suicide, "there are seven to ten people intimately affected".
See also
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International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day
International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day is designated by the United States Congress as a day when the friends and family of those who have died by suicide can join together for healing and support. This day always falls on the Saturday before ...
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World Suicide Prevention Day
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) is an awareness day observed on 10 September every year, in order to provide worldwide commitment and action to prevent suicides, with various activities around the world since 2003. The International Associati ...
References
Further reading
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External links
Alliance of Hope for Suicide Survivors
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Grief
Survivor