After the Suicide: Helping the Bereaved to Find a Path from Grief to Recovery

by Einar Plyhn, Gudrun Dieserud, Kari Dyregrov

Overview

*Highly Commended in the Health and Social Care category at the 2012 British Medical Association Book Awards*

Those left behind in the wake of suicide are often plagued by unanswered questions and feelings of guilt. Helping them to understand why the suicide happened, how suicide survivors commonly react and cope, and where they can find support can help them move forwards on their path from grief to recovery.

Drawing on the testimonies of suicide survivors and research into suicide bereavement, this book provides those working with the bereaved with the knowledge and guidance they need. It covers common grief and crisis reactions, including those specific to children and young people, how suicide bereavement differs from other forms of bereavement, and how others have coped and been supported. It also addresses how the bereaved can move on, including advice on support networks including friends, family, professionals and other bereaved people.

This book will be invaluable to all those supporting those who have been bereaved by suicide, including counsellors, bereavement support workers, social workers, and psychologists.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781849052115
Publisher:	Jessica Kingsley Publishers
Publication date:	10/15/2011
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	192
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Kari Dyregrov is Senior Researcher at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Oslo, and Research Director at the Center for Crisis Psychology, Bergen, Norway. She is a suicidologist and grief researcher, and she established the Norwegian Organisation for Suicide Survivors (LEVE) in 1999. Einar Plyhn is Publisher at Abstrakt Forlag, Norway. He has personal experience of suicide bereavement. Gudrun Dieserud is Department Director, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway, and is a qualified suicidologist and clinical psychologist.

Table of Contents

Foreword John R. Jordan 7

Preface 10

To the Reader 11

1 Suicide and the Bereaved 13

2 Suicide Around the World 20

3 After the Suicide 27

4 Common Grief and Crisis Reactions 36

5 The Unique Aspects of Reactions to Suicide 52

6 Children and Young People Bereaved by Suicide 61

7 Coping on the Road Ahead 77

8 Support from Social Networks 96

9 Support from Other Bereaved: Peer Support 114

10 The Role of Professionals 127

11 Grief, Growth and Development 149

12 Why Suicide? 163

Useful Resources 175

Endnotes 178

Index 189

Editorial Reviews

[This book] is eminently readable: clear, simple, and comprehensive in its coverage of the experience of losing a loved one to suicide... After the Suicide is a superb book for those who are bereaved by suicide, for those who wish to help them, and for those whose professional work leads them to walk the difficult journey with survivors.

From the Foreword by John R. Jordan

*Highly Commended in the Health and Social Care category of the 2012 BMA Medical Book Awards*

'After the Suicide is a "must read" for anyone working with those bereaved by suicide, whether children, young people or adults. I can't imagine finding a more informative and compassionate book about surviving suicide. It mixes hones, direct personal testimonies, well-referenced research and clinical knowledge to create a unique source of myth-busting information and practical advice - and more.

I was eager to read this book when I realised the skill and knowledge of the authors: a respected researcher of bereavement, who established the Norwegian Organisation for Suicide Survivors; a qualified suicidologist/clinical psychologist; and a colleague of theirs with personal experience of suicide bereavement. There was nothing in the content to disappointment me, and there is little jargon and no academic blustering. Even if you think you know a lot about grief from suicide, this book may well give you more to think about.

Each chapter could stand alone, but reading the book from beginning to end provides us with a clearer understanding of the reactions and needs of those bereaved by suicide. It is also better preparation for the final chapter, "Why suicide?"'

Children & Young People Now

In this one volume can be found all the important facts about grief that follows when someone kills himself/herself. Equally important, the authors have given us material to put those deaths in context. As a long-time survivor and as a writer about mourning after suicide, I see this book as a major achievement, following in the footsteps of others who have tried to put the terrible aftermath of suicide in perspective.

Christopher Lukas

This translation of a book written by Norwegian researchers and psychologists seeks to guide those offering bereavement support. Although the statistics and examples given are Norwegian, the themes it addresses are universal and the book will be relevant to anyone affected by suicide. It deals with the most common questions and reactions to suicide... Layout, style and contents are clear, enabling the reader to select the most relevant chapter to their own situation, and the book is well referenced.

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