Government Document

Responding to grief, trauma, and distress after a suicide: U.S. national guidelines

National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention

Year: 2018 Source: Washington, DC: Author, 2015. 60 p. SIEC No: 20180545

These guidelines provide a unified, far-reaching blueprint for the development of suicide postvention at all levels of U.S. society.

Populations: Racial and Ethnic Groups, Attempt Survivors and Other People with Lived Experience, Survivors of Suicide Loss
Settings: Schools, Health Care, Behavioral Health Care, Outpatient Mental Health, Substance Abuse Treatment, Colleges and Universities, Faith Communities, Family Members and Caregivers, First Responders
About Suicide: Behavioral Health Disorders, Depression/Bipolar, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), Substance Abuse
Planning and Implementing: Program Evaluation, Cultural Competence, Partnerships and Coalitions, News and Entertainment Media, Communications and Outreach, Safe/Effective Messaging
Strategies: Treatment, Postvention
The guidelines provide a unified, far-reaching blueprint for the development of suicide postvention at all
levels of U.S. society. The overarching goal is to reduce the deleterious effects of exposure to suicide and
facilitate the process of healing from a suicide loss. The guidelines call for an integrated and
compassionate community response to deaths by suicide in every kind of community in the country.