Offering hope, comfort and support for survivors of suicide loss.
It’s been tough to escape the news of the unfortunate crash of Germanwings flight 9525 in the French Alps, which appears to have been caused by the co-pilot’s suicide. In addition to ending his own life, he killed 149 passengers onboard. As they commonly do, the media have spent days covering the ins and outs of the tragedy, including analysis of the mental state of a depressed or suicidal person. While I would prefer to change the channel, my ...
I was born an anxious person. Before most things have a chance to happen, I worry about the “what ifs.” I fret over things that could happen later today and 10 years from now. This is a trait that’s engrained in me and I really don’t know any other way. I like to feel prepared with lists and solutions for all of the possible outcomes I could experience in life. (Which sounds a lot like my dad.) Whether this was all due to nature, nurture or a mix ...
My blood is boiling. I’m no stranger to aloof innuendos and comments about suicide in society, but lately I feel like they’ve reached epidemic proportions. I work for a large corporation with an office in downtown Chicago. I don’t know if it’s just my colleagues or corporate America in general, but suicide-related terms seem to be commonplace. And, frankly, I’m over it…
My dad has been gone for three-and-a-half years now, so I’ve heard many a ...
When facing the loss of a loved one to suicide, I’ve observed two camps of survivors – those who want to try and understand every detail surrounding the final act, and those who never want to know those details. I happen to fall into the former category.
In the hours following my dad’s death, I became desperate for answers. He never clued us in that anything was wrong or that suicide was something he’d ever entertained. What I knew right away ...
The other day, I heard a survivor say their loved one “died from a loss of hope.” This is such a simple, beautifully-articulated statement. How have I not used this myself before?
When explaining how someone died by suicide, most people fixate on the “did he or she commit or complete suicide” argument. Yes, that is certainly a very straightforward and factual way to put it. But, it feels rather cold, like the manner in which they died. I’m ...
