BMJ  2003;327:177-178 (26 July), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7408.177

Editorial

Helping people bereaved by suicide

Their needs may require special attention

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

For every suicide it is claimed that on average six people suffer intense grief.¹ With around 5000 suicides per year in England and Wales and at least 800 000 worldwide, the burden of suicide is immense. Those affected include parents, partners, children, siblings, friends, colleagues at work, and clinicians. The need for provision of care for this population is emphasised in the National Suicide Prevention Strategy for England.² This issue has also been highlighted by the recent publication of the European Directory of Suicide Survivor Services by the International Association for Suicide Prevention, which lists support services for people bereaved by suicide.³ Here we review the specific issues faced by people who have lost someone through suicide, the nature of available help, and future needs in this area.

Does bereavement by suicide differ from the impact of other sudden death? Initial uncontrolled studies implied a particularly difficult grief process. . . . [Full text of this article]

(keith.hawton@psychiatry.oxford.ac.uk)

Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX

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This article has been cited by other articles:

• Hawton, K., Simkin, S., Rees, S. (2008). Help is at hand for people bereaved by suicide and other traumatic death. Psychiatr. Bull. 32: 309-311 [Full text]  
• de Groot, M., de Keijser, J., Neeleman, J., Kerkhof, A., Nolen, W., Burger, H. (2007). Cognitive behaviour therapy to prevent complicated grief among relatives and spouses bereaved by suicide: cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ 334: 994-994 [Abstract] [Full text]  
• Clark, A. (2004). Working with grieving adults. Adv. Psychiatr. Treat. 10: 164-170 [Abstract] [Full text]  

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