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Suicide does not occur in a vacuum, it occurs in families.
Paul G. Quinnett, Ph.D.
Did You Know?
• Each suicide intimately affects at least 6 other people. (estimate)
• Based on the over 738,000 suicides from 1976 through 2000, estimated that
the number of survivors of suicides in the U.S. is 4.4 million (1 of every 62
Americans in 2000); number grew by over 176,000 in 2000.
• If there is a suicide every 18 minutes, then there are 6 new survivors every
18 minutes as well.
American Association of Suicidology
www.suicidology.org
I Don’t Know Why…..
I don’t know why.
I’ll never know why.
I don’t have to know why.
I don’t like it.
I don’t have to like it.
What I do have to do
is make a choice about living.
What I want to do
is accept it and go on living.
The choice is mine.
I can go on living,
valuing every moment
in a way I never did before,
or I can be destroyed by it
and, in turn, destroy others.
I thought I was immortal.
That my family
and my children
were immortal too.
That tragedy happened
only to others.
But I know now that
life is tenuous.
So I am choosing to
go on living,
making the most of the time
I have, valuing
my family and friends
in a way never possible before.
Iris M. Bolton
From My Son......My Son
A Guide to Healing After Death, Loss or Suicide
Irisbolton@aol.com
The Vocabulary of Loss: A Glossary of Suicide-Related Terminology
SOS Support Groups
For every completed suicide, there are at least six survivors – that is, loved ones left behind with feelings of anger, confusion and tremendous loss. If you are a survivor of suicide and want someone to talk to, please call a SOS (survivor of suicide) support group. If you know about an SOS group in your area that is not included on these two sites, please let the appropriate organization know.
AAS Support Groups
www.suicidology.org
AFSP’s 2002 Survivor Support Groups Directory
www.afsp.org
Additional Resources for Support, Aftercare and Education:
www.compassionatefriends.org
Grief support after the death of a child
The mission of The Compassionate Friends is to assist families toward the positive resolution of grief following the death of a child of any age and to provide information to help others be supportive.
The Compassionate Friends is a national nonprofit, self-help support organization that offers friendship and understanding to bereaved parents, grandparents and siblings. There is no religious affiliation and there are no membership dues or fees.
The secret of TCF's success is simple: As seasoned grievers reach out to the newly bereaved, energy that has been directed inward begins to flow outward and both are helped to heal.
National Resource Center for Suicide Prevention and Aftercare
The Link Counseling Center
www.thelink.org
The National Resource Center for Suicide Prevention and Aftercare’s goal is to provide suicide related community education in the areas of prevention, intervention, and aftercare as well as healing support services for families, youth and those affected by the psychological trauma of suicide.
Survivors of Loved Ones Suicides
www.solos.org
SOLOS’ mission is to provide help and support through outreach, education and research. Their goal is to ensure that no SOLOS need face their challenges alone.
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