Paper Example. Support Groups for Survivors of Suicide

Suicide is a complicated phenomenon which over the decades has drawn attention physicists, psychologists, and religious leaders. It requires our attention as a severe public health issue, but sadly, its prevention and control is not a simple task. Many studies suggest that while suicide prevention is viable, it includes a whole sequence of operations, ranging from providing the highest possible circumstances for the upbringing of our kids and youth, through efficient therapy of mental disorders, to controlling risk factors in the environment. Appropriate data dissemination and awareness-raising are vital components of suicide prevention programs' achievement.

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Suicide has destructive effects on our society. In the United States alone, over 30, 000 deaths by suicide are reported every year (Stockard, Jean & Robert 859). Suicide has become a public health issue. When an individual commits suicide, family members and friends are left with grieve and pain, which sometimes may devastate their overall health. Those people who are left grieving are survivors of suicide. Study shows that one in sixty-four Americans is a suicide survivor. It is quite evident that suicide survivors may experience problems comparable to those suffering from traumatic fatalities of other kinds. Suicide survivors should face distinctive difficulties connected with a suicide death, including a lengthy and intensive quest for the cause of suicide emotions being dismissed by the dead and the feeling of being blamed for the problems that started the suicidal idea of the diseased (Kniepe 364). Support group for these survivors is critically important to enable them to pass through such hard moments in their lives since most of the time, people who are grieving suicide death experiences high rates of rage, depression, dysfunctional family and the feeling of social stigma. They have trouble thinking of existence without their loved ones who committed suicide, detachment from the communities to which they belong, feeling dazed, and a feeling that life is vanity. The support groups are essential during this time since they get to be given therapy and helped to overcome such feelings.

Most of the individuals who seek help from survival groups do so soon after the demise of their loved ones, though they do seem to have challenges to initiate a search for assistance. A recently completed research shows that the majority of people who attends suicide survivors' groups found such support groups to be highly helpful. Often talking one on one with another survivor gives you the courage to share your experiences. Mutual support groups are beneficial since they provide room to survivors to feel an identity sense with peers in the support group and make them believe that they can share their emotions and experiences and also listen to the experiences of the new members (Cerel, Julie, et al. 271). In these support groups, the veteran members also get the chance to describe ways they used to make it through difficult moments and issues they met along the way; in their quest for peaceful living. This allows new members to realize that there is no experience that is bad that cannot be overcome if only they have the will to do so.

Meeting with someone to share your feelings and experiences is a precious resource that many people crave for. However, to make them more productive, support groups should develop appropriate measures to reach out to their members. Therapists in these support groups should know what to say to their members. They must also stay close to them and their families since most families do feel stigmatized and cut off after such suicidal experiences. Besides, they should be there for the long haul and help them with practical things such as watering garden and other house chores. This is how members of support groups help each other.

Learning from Members and future prevention of Suicide

How suicide survivors can help in the prevention of suicide

Today, taking the subject of suicide out of the shadows feels more urgent than ever before. The past 20 years have shown groundbreaking and efficient treatment techniques for survivors of suicide. However, there is a need to reach out to the general population and campaign against suicidal thoughts. The saying that prevention is better than cure is very true in this regard. Suicidal cases can be minimized if only people reach out to each other when they need our help. If we can intervene and get individuals the aid they need, we can save lives. Members of support groups for survivors of suicide can be accommodating in the prevention of suicide. They can spread the message of hope to the vulnerable people who may have the thoughts of suicide and explain to them the devastating effects of suicide in their lives and the lives of those around them. They can act as mentors to the youths and also identify warning signs of suicide form those around them since they have experience of the same from their deceased loved ones.

People should also get to learn from the survivors of suicide. They should know that suicide does not only undermine their future but also largely impacts those they will leave behind after death. Another way to help prevent suicide is by people being close to each other and reaching out when others are in need. Often a suicide attempt is an indicator that something is gravely a mess in an individual's life. Most people who die from suicide experience an emotional disorder - depression. It is critically important to stand out to each other during the time of adversity and be able to know when our friends and family members are going through tough moments (Dyregrov 667). If a person shows that they are considering committing suicide, we should listen and take their concerns with seriousness. We should let them know that we care for them and they are not alone in this world. We should then encourage them to seek assistance from concern groups. Today, suicide is among the leading causes of death in the world. Caring for one another's feeling is one attractive way of future preventing of suicide.

Also, the government and churches should come up with mentorship programs for people where they can share their feelings and needs. In these programs, people should be made aware that life is more precious than anyone could ever imagine and ending one's life as an alternative to avoiding life's challenges is but a cowardice move that one could ever imagine.

In conclusion, suicide always has a severe effect on the surviving families and society at large. There is a need to understand better the psychological and psychopathological effects of losing a significant other by suicide. Suicide is a significant public health issue since many people die from suicide every year. The support groups for survivors of suicide are crucial, and they should be strengthened to help suicide survivors. Furthermore, people should be made aware of the impact of suicide on their lives, friends, and family members. They should be made to know that there are ups and downs in life, and taking one's one life is not a solution to life challenges.

Works Cited

Cerel, Julie, et al. "A call for research: The need to better understand the impact of support groups for suicide survivors." Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 39.3 (2009): 269-281. https://guilfordjournals.com/doi/abs/10.1521/suli.2009.39.3.269

Dyregrov, Kari. "Assistance from Local Authorities Versus Survivors 'needs for Support After Suicide." Death Studies 26.8 (2002): 647-668. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07481180290088356

Knieper, Audra J. "The suicide survivor's grief and recovery." Suicide and LifeThreatening Behavior 29.4 (1999): 353-364. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1943-278X.1999.tb00530.x

Stockard, Jean, and Robert M. O'Brien. "Cohort effects on suicide rates: International variations." American Sociological Review (2002): 854-872. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3088973?seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents