The Space Left Behind
I was there,
C’mon and tell me I wasn’t worth
Sticking it out for
Well I was there
And I know I was worth it
Cause if I wasn’t worth it
That makes me worse off then you are- Surrounded, by Chantal Kreviazuk
For all our talk of suicide, what to do if you’re feeling suicidal, what to do if your friend is feeling suicidal, what to do if your pets are suicidal, sometimes we forget to address the space left behind, the people left mourning… Survivors of suicide. Maybe it’s time we said hi to them and carved out a space for them in our learning section as well.
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The World Health Organization estimates that for every life lost to suicide, there are five to ten people who are severely affected by the loss (source). If you’ve ever lost someone close to you to suicide, I would imagine this would come as no surprise to you. And although there’s no questioning how profoundly suicide can affect surviving family and friends, entire communities can be rocked as well. Co-workers, other members of the religious community, classmates, in a small village or community it could be everyone… these are all people who may be left devastated by the loss.
In the wake of any suicide, those who must fill the space left behind can often need support. Sometimes it can look a lot like the support we might extend to someone grieving a death from other cases… sometimes there are questions that have fundamentally to do with the fact that it was a suicide.
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As far as what that support would look like? Let’s see.
- If you’re thinking about suicide yourself and want to talk about it, you can chat with us (click CHAT NOW in the top-right). Or call 1-800-SUICIDE (anywhere in BC). Check the bottom of this page for other regions.
- We’ve taken a moment to beef up our learning section on suicide to include a page on Survivors of Suicide, because so many people can be left wondering “Why?”… or even “What could I have done about it?” We also have a more general page dealing with Grief & Loss.
- In B.C., SAFER is a suicide-specific resource that offers counselling and support groups. In Richmond, you can also contact CHIMO.
- For support outside of B.C., try contacting your local crisis centre. Befrienders Worldwide has an awesome international directory available.
