Whether you are struggling with fresh grief at a loved one’s death by suicide or your loss happened years ago, you should know that you are not alone. 5 million Americans are affected—directly or indirectly—by this tragedy each year. And it sends us on a lifelong search for answers, both to the practical questions and the deepest question of all: Why? In this definitive guide book, Michael F. Myers, MD, a leading psychiatrist, and Carla Fine, author of the acclaimed No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One, combine their perspectives as a physician and a survivor to offer compassionate and practical advice to anyone affected by suicide.
Touched by Suicide
Foreword
by Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D.
Introduction
Making Sense of Suicide
Part One
What Happened? The Aftermath of Suicide
1. The Devastation of Suicide
2. Searching for Reasons
Part Two
What Can I Do? Practical Suggestions for Healing
3. Protecting Your Health
4. Keeping Your Family Together
5. Telling Your Children
6. Coping with Specific Circumstances
7. Reaching Out for Support
8. Getting Help from Mental Health Professionals
Part Three
How Can I Go On? Finding Meaning after Suicide
9. Suicide, Religion, and Spirituality
10. Life-Preserving Ingishts into Suicide and Attempted Suicide
11. Erasing the Stigma of Suicide
Conclusion>
Breaking the Silence, Easing the Pain
Appendix A: Resource Directory
Appendix B: Bibliography
Index
