Events Prior to Completed Suicide: Perspectives of Family Survivors

Abstract

Relatively little is known about the experiences of those bereaved by suicide, particularly in the weeks leading to the death of a loved one. This study used a qualitative methodology to explore the perspectives of close survivors of a completed suicide. Ten people who were bereaved by suicide participated in face-to-face interviews that were digitally recorded, transcribed verbatim, and thematically analysed. Analysis revealed the following three themes: He Tried to Hang Himself: Purposeful indications of the intent to end life; They Still Ignored It: Disappointment with health services; and Nobody Talked to Me: Exclusion of family members from treatment information. Prior to the suicide of their loved one, participants had identified that the loved one was at risk and perceived they were unable to acquire appropriate assistance from services. Rather, services were perceived by participants as unsupportive and inadequate. Health and social service professionals could benefit from further specialised education concerning suicide and its sequelae to ensure more effective and sensitive care delivery to suicide survivors.