11,35 These painful experiences may be further complicated by the effects of stigma36,37 and trauma.38 For these reasons, grief experienced by suicide survivors may be qualitatively different than grief after other causes of death. Thus, while Sveen and Walby39 found no significant

differences in rates of comorbid psychiatric disorders and suicidality among suicide bereaved individuals compared with other bereaved individuals across 41 studies, they did find higher incidences of rejection, blaming, shame, stigma, and the need to conceal the cause of death among those bereaved by suicide as compared with other causes of death. As Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical outlined by Jordan,11 certain characteristics of suicide bereavement that are qualitatively different from other forms of bereavement may lead to delays in survivors’ healing. Need to understand, guilt, and responsibility Most suicide survivors are plagued by the need to make sense of the death and to understand why the suicide completers made the decision to end their life. A message left by the deceased might help the survivors

Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical understand why their loved one decided to take his or her own life. Even with such explanations there are often still unanswered questions survivors feel they are left to untangle, including their own Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical role in the sequence of events. Another common response to a loved one’s suicide is an overestimation of one’s own responsibility, as well as guilt for not having been

able to do more to prevent such an outcome. Survivors are often unaware of the many factors that contributed to the suicide, and in retrospect see things they may have not been Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical aware of before the event. Survivors will often replay events up to the last moments of their loved ones’ lives, digging for clues and warnings that they blame themselves for not noticing or taking seriously enough. They might recall past disagreements or arguments, plans not fulfilled, calls not returned, words not said, and ruminate on how if only they had done Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical or said something differently, maybe the outcome would have been different. Parents who have lost a child to suicide can be especially afflicted with feelings of guilt and responsibility.40 Parents who have Batimastat lost a child to suicide report more guilt, shame, and shock than spouses and children.41 They often think “If only I had not lost my temper” or “If only I had been around more.” The death of child is arguably the most difficult type of loss a person can experience,17 particularly when the death is by suicide. Parents feel responsible for their may children, especially when the deceased child is young. Indeed, age of the suicide deceased has been found to be one of the most important factors predicting intensity of grief.42 While guilt is not a grief response specific to death by suicide, it is not uncommon for a survivor to view the suicide as an event that can be prevented.