Suicide: When It Happens to Someone You Know

by Bonnie Szumski

Overview

When someone you know-when someone you love-dies from suicide the sense of loss and guilt can be overwhelming and it is natural to wonder how you can ever come back from that pain. Suicide: When It Happens to Someone You Know offers a deeply personal look at the thoughts, feelings, and grieving process in the aftermath of suicide. It shows that there is no magic elixir, no ideal path to feeling okay again but that the way back includes accepting how you feel, talking to people you trust, and taking care of yourself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781678203542
Publisher:	Referencepoint Press
Publication date:	01/01/2023
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	7.10(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

Table of Contents

Introduction 4

If Only …

Chapter 1 When Someone You Know Dies from Suicide: How Can it Be? 8

Chapter 2 Searching for Answers: What Happened? 17

Chapter 3 Survivors in the Aftermath of Suicide: What Is Happening to Me? 25

Chapter 4 How to Talk to Someone Who Has Experienced a Loss from Suicide 34

Chapter 5 Coming Out the Other Side: Moving from Survival to Living Again 44

Epilogue 53

My Personal Journey

Source Notes 55

Getting Help 58

For Further Research 60

Index 61

About the Author 64

Editorial Reviews

2022-12-14
Advice from an author who has experienced it herself on surviving the suicide of someone close.

Szumski provides a personal look at dealing with the suicide of a loved one. The mother of a teen who died by suicide, she draws on her own experience as well as interviews and written accounts from other survivors. She provides sympathy, encouragement, and sensible advice, encouraging survivors to understand the pain of the suicidal person and to remember them with love. Chapter by chapter, she moves from immediate responses—“How Can It Be?” and “What Happened?”—to the process of grief. She describes ways others often respond to someone who is grieving a suicide and ways that can be more helpful. Finally, she talks about adjustments people make and how they move on, though the grief never really goes away. The writing is direct and straightforward, including a variety of examples. Quotes from survivors demonstrate the wide range of people’s reactions and coping strategies. The author incorporates up-to-date statistics and statements from therapists and researchers. Subheadings, pull quotes, text boxes, and stock photographs showing people of different races and ages break up the narrative. The backmatter includes source notes, websites for finding help, and resources for further research. With suicide being the third leading cause of death among teenagers, this is a much-needed addition to the self-help shelf.

A brief guide offering solace and helpful guidance. (photo credits, index) (Nonfiction. 12-18)

Kirkus Reviews