We continue our conversation with Whitcomb Terpening of The Semicolon Group on grieving the loss of a loved one to suicide.  In this episode, we focus on the idea of how you “should” remember someone who ended their own life.  In general, when someone passes we don’t normally focus on the way they died.  If someone has a heart attack, we don’t typically dwell on the fact that their heart gave out. However, with suicide, many people narrow in on the manner of the individual’s death. This may be, in part, because many people feel a degree of responsibility or guilt when someone they care about dies by suicide.  

How can we grapple with feelings of responsibility, guilt, or shame? Also, how should we handle the anniversary of our loved one’s death or birthday?  When a suicide happens in a family, it can create many issues, one of which may be what to tell the kids.  There is a tendency to want to hide the truth about the suicide of a beloved family member, but that may only create further problems down the line. For more on what to do or not do when a family member dies of suicide, check out this week’s blog, “Talking With the Kids About Suicide in the Family.”