Grief Note: Individuals Impacted by Suicide

Anger at the person who committed suicide can go unresolved for years feeling they were responsible for unsuccessful realistic or unrealistic attempts at preventing the suicide.  This feeling of responsibility can primarily be observed with bereaved adults, however, can at times affect children who have reached an age of realization of consequences.   Children can feel guilt from a suicide unrealistically feeling that their behavior could have affected the decadent’s decision.   Anger in children experiencing the suicide death of a parent can evolve into a resentment and bitterness that affects their life far into mature adulthood.  Mental health professionals can often use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques to help them create different thought patterns when considering the decadent.  The bereaved individual who has adapted following years after the experience of suicide may need more intensive therapy in a safe place in order to see their faulty thought patterns that have often helped them be successful in a single area of their lives yet damaged others.