Personal values and beliefs are shattered. The individual is changed emotionally. The grief it causes is intense and prolonged. And suicide is still stigmatized. This serious grief reaction arises when loss cannot be expressed openly.
Survivors feel responsible for their loss.
Those who witness the suicide or find the body may suffer post-traumatic stress. Many feel anger toward the victim, themselves or others. Every survivor needs immediate support at the time of the loss, but this was not available in our community. Feeling overwhelmed, I telephoned Peter Darch, the minister at St. Andrew's in Guelph. I had known him for 19 years, and this was not the first time I had relied on his spiritual strength for advice and counselling.