Year: 1996 Source: Omega, v.33, no.4, p.265-278 SIEC No: 19970178

Several case studies explore the incidence of suicides within cemeteries. Most of the deaths occur at the gravesite of a deceased relative & represent a distorted form of pathological grief response. Graveside suicides also reflect permanent devotion to the deceased & provide a public display of the survivor’s ongoing pain. Many opposing ideas explore the psychodynamics of grief reactions. During the study period of 1969-1992, 18 of 41 cemetery deaths were suicides.