Unveiling studies on self-healing practices for suicide loss survivors: A scoping review

This scoping review aimed to examine how self-healing practices had been addressed in the empirical literature on suicide bereavement. Adhering to PRISMA-ScR guidelines, we searched five databases for peer-reviewed studies that reported using self-healing practices, either as a primary or secondary finding and 32 studies were included. The results highlight a substantial research gap in […]

Support in bereavement processes in cases of suicide or substance-related death in childhood: A systematic review

Exposure to parental suicide or substance-related death can be a risk factor for unwanted developmental trajectories. The stigma and taboo that often follow a death subject to being morally sanctioned in society (‘special deaths’) pose an extra challenge for the surviving child and family. The support of informal and formal networks is an important factor […]

Evaluation of a suicide loss support training program for organ procurement personnel

Objective To evaluate the impact of a 6-h traumatic loss training program on organ procurement personnel attitudes, confidence, and knowledge about suicide loss and best practices in supporting survivors. Organ procurement personnel may be uniquely positioned to deliver supportive programming as they have early access to suicide loss survivors (i.e., within hours or days of […]

From sense-making to meaning-making: understanding and supporting survivors of suicide.

This article reports findings from a qualitative study conducted in Switzerland, aimed at understanding how forty-eight survivors made sense of the suicide of a loved one. In-depth interviews were carried out and grounded theory analysis was performed. Suicide shatters the assumptive world of survivors. In their quest for meaning, they undergo three processes. Sense-making is […]

Suicide survivors’ handbook: A guide for the bereaved and those who wish to help them.

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Suicide and homicide bereavement among African Americans: Implications for survivor research and practice.

Suicide and homicide are among the leading causes of death for young African-American men; however, little is known about how family members cope with these types of deaths. This exploratory phenomenological study examines the traumatic loss and coping experiences of a purposive convenience sample of 12 immediate African-American surviving family members with a combined experience […]

Report of the Canadian Forces Expert Panel on Suicide Prevention

A French-language version of this report is also available.

Caregiver Support: Assisting Caregivers of Suicidal Individuals

Book Review-The Helper’s Journey: Working With People Facing Grief, Loss and Life-Threatening Illness, by D G Larson

The first 2 chapters of this book are theoretical, where definitions of various forms of caregiving are described. Other chapters highlight the need for support among caregivers, communication & practical skills, the stance of the caregiver in a helping relationship, & the caring team.

Communication With Suicidal Persons

This manuscript provides a comprehensive examination of communication issues & patterns in communicating with suicidal persons & others deemed to be at high risk. It also discussesfollow-up programs & activities, group process, therapist challenges, research done on patients discharged from a hospital setting, & the impact of media coverage. It notes that meaningful messages must […]

Dallas Action Against Suicide

This article provides an overview of the Dallas Suicide & Crisis Center established in 1969. It describes the crisis line, intervention model support programs for suicide attempters, bereavement after suicide programs, community education, & community support. The structure & organization of this center as well as funding arrangement are outlined. The Center is accredited by […]

Issues & Answers

The issue is whether counselors & psychologists brought into a school after a serious incident are always helpful. The answer presented tries to address both sides of the issue. On the positive side, additional professionals can be extremely helpful when adolescents may need assessment & intervention. However, extra staff can also cause confusion about roles […]

Controlled Studies of Psychosocial Intervention Following Attempted Suicide (IN: Current Research on Suicide and Parasuicide, ed. by S D Platt and N Kreitman)

In this study, multiple suicide attempters were placed into 1 of 2 treatment programs. The 1st group was offered regular & frequent out-patient appointments, & extensive emergency services were available. The 2nd group was offered routine follow-up; an out-patient appointment to see a psychiatrist &/or social worker. There was no difference in the number of […]

Relationship of Purpose in Life to Grief Experiences in Response to the Death of a Significant Other

This study examined the relationship of purpose in life to grief experiences in response to the death of a significant other. 40 undergrads who had sustained the death of a loved one completed an info sheet, the Purpose in Life Test & the Grief Experience Inventory. Bereaved persons who reported low purpose in life appeared […]

An Exploration of Group Postvention Techniques

The problem of adolescent suicide emphasizes the need for innovative treatment approaches. A request for suicide postvention from an inner-city high school developed into a time-limited group therapy approach to teen suicide survivor crisis intervention. The predominant theme that evolved was the inevitability of losses. The conflict of protecting oneself adequately but remaining open to […]

Suicidologist Reaches Out to Bereaved: Breaking the “Barriers of Shame”

Dr. Mark Solomon, former Provincial Suicidologist for Alberta, now runs a private counselling practice, Bereavement Services of Alberta. Journalist Lyndsay Clark reviews his work in suicide prevention and bereavement counselling. (NBB)

Support Groups for Suicide Attempters: Practical and Theoretical Issues

Management of Patients After Self-Poisoning

Letter to the Editor

A Social-Behavior Analysis of Suicide and Parasuicide; Implications for Clinical Assessment and Treatment (IN: Depression: Behavioral and Directive Intervention Strategies, ed. by H G Glazer)

Suicide Support in Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Life-Line

Life-line, a support group established in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was created to help persons who have attempted or seriously considered suicide explore other possible solutions. Details of the group’s formation, operation, and acceptance by both clients and the professional community are summarized by a life-line worker involved in the formation of the group.(NBB)

Communication in Attempted Suicide

This article is a description of work with attempted suicides over a period of 12 months and describes a method of intervention which the author has found useful. From this working experience certain areas suggest themselves for further research and some wider implications for general social work practice are also put forward.

When the Patient has Attempted Suicide

Presents a programmed learning module, including 5 decision points, with 3 choices each, centering upon an interview with a self-poisoning female. The module directs the reader from the first thing said to the patient, through drawing-out her statements about her difficulties, to the discussion of referral for psychotheraphy. (RM)

Observations on Long-Term Group Therapy With Suicidal and Depressed Persons

Describes a long-term open-ended group for 200 depressed & suicidal individuals who had made suicide attempts. Over a 46-month period only 10 suicide attempts were made & 1 suicide was completed. Recommendations for starting groups of suicidal persons are presented.