Survivors of a family member's suicide: implications for practice

Survivors of suicide are people who are coping with the loss of a loved one through an act of suicide. Primary health care providers are well-positioned to identify and intervene with this population, which is known to be at high risk for health disturbances. A research study was conducted to further clinicians' understanding of the experiences and needs of survivors. The major research question was, "What do adult survivors report about their perceived life experiences three to nine months after the suicide of a family member?" Data from audiotaped interviews with 35 adult survivors of suicide were analyzed to determine a description of the experiences and needs of this population. A recurrent theme discovered in the lives of survivors was the persistence of agonizing, unanswerable questions related to the death. Surviving family members struggled with why the suicide had occurred and worried about the impact of the death on themselves and others. Profound changes in the emotional, cognitive, physical and social functioning of survivors were also evident. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.