- It is estimated that every suicide leaves 6 - 8 "survivors."
- The 31,000 reported suicides in our nation causes 180,000 - 250,000 men, women, and children to become suicide grievers every year.
- Adolescents who have lost a friend to suicide are almost 3 times more likely to complete suicide than those who have not.
Statistics from Suicide Loss FAQs
This is the last article in a series of four on the topic of suicide. In the first article, "The Desperation Point: Suicide of Teens and Young Adults", contributor Mary Robbins discussed information related to suicide in the younger generation and provided online resources on prevention.
The second article, "The Desperation Point: SAD, the Holidays and Suicide" brought information to readers about the incidence of depressions during the holiday season and what persons prone to these seasonal depressions could do to avoid the "winter blues."
In the third article, "The Desperation Point: Self-Deliverance in Middle Age", I was assisted by contributor Morris Friedell in offering information on how some chronically ill patients are choosing to end their own lives and the reasons why. Online resources that provide information on "the right to die" issues were included.
In the many hours that I devoted to researching for this series of articles, there was one fact that became apparent. Once a person has successfully committed suicide, we no longer have any tangible information of what that person thinks and feels about the event. Nor do we have any proof of what, if any, consequences that the person may suffer. *
It was evident to me, however, that those who are left behind frequently experience an exaggerated resolution period, which may involve different emotions than when a person loses someone in a natural death. It also seems that the length of time from learning of the suicide until the person reaches the acceptance stage is much more protracted.
After learning of the special problems experienced by survivors, I decided that the perfect way to finish this series would be to end with this article on survivor's grief, "The Desperation Point: Survivors of Suicide in Misery." Some of the information on this subject may surprise you, as it did me when I first visited survivor web sites. I will be reviewing the help offered at these sites within this article.
The copyright of the article The Desperation Point: Survivors of Suicide in Misery in Death & Dying is owned by . Permission to republish The Desperation Point: Survivors of Suicide in Misery in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
