Even in the absence of being a witness or discovering the body, the death is a traumatic event in the life of the survivor. The act itself is unnatural and sudden. The individual caused his own death and the family must deal with the unexpectedness of the situation. They are faced with police investigation of this self-killing. As the survivor experiences shock, this police activity compounds the pain the survivors feel as the death surround is explored.
Many suicides take place in the home.
Following these episodes, which could last from 15 to 20 minutes, the subjects reported feeling totally exhausted and unable to resume their daily routine. Initially society blames the survivor and offers less grief support than it does for survivors of a natural death. Survivors may set themselves apart from those around them because of the blame, rejection and lack of understanding on the part of society. Friends, neighbors and co-workers are at a loss for words and often say nothing, or their words are those of blame. The survivor, in order to cope, may refuse to discuss the death or create different circumstances surrounding the death.