Violence or disfigurement even further intensifies the survivor's feelings. General rules for dealing with the bereaved also apply here, with certain specific emphases. The chance to view the body, even when mutilated, should be offered to the family members. If there is severe mutilation, the family should be warned. The need to view the body, an aid to normal mourning, is greater when death is sudden.
Suicide is an especially difficult way to lose a loved one.
Feeling abandoned and rejected, the survivor often experiences unsettling anger or, if the relationship had been hostile and stormy, equally unsettling relief. The bereaved scours through memories for an action that might have caused or prevented the suicide. Guilt is such an inevitable consequence of suicide that even casual acquaintances wonder what they might have done that contributed to the death. Shame can cause avoidance of others, falsification of the event as an accident, or unwillingness even to let others know that a family member has died. A scapegoat may be sought, such as the deceased's therapist, spouse, boss, or occupation or the medical examiner who labeled the death a suicide.