Saturday 22nd November was International Survivors of Suicide Loss Day. It is estimated that for every person who dies by suicide, approximately 135 people are directly impacted by that loss. In the most recent available statistics on suicide in Ireland (from 2022), 500 people died by suicide. That means that 67,500 people were impacted by the grief associated with those deaths.
It is pertinent that this day falls during November, a month where men’s mental health promotion is prioritised, as of those 500 people who died by suicide, 389 of them were men.
Being bereaved by suicide can be very difficult, no matter what kind of relationship you had with the person who has died. There is no specific right thing to think, nor right thing to feel. There is also no time limit on how long you are allowed to feel those feelings for. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone. Support is out there, and you deserve to be supported through this.
The HSE have developed a booklet alongside people who have experienced bereavement by suicide that may be of help – it covers both practical support and information on other supports as well as words from those who have also experienced this type of bereavement. You can find it here.
HUGG Ireland (which stands for Healing Untold Grief Groups) is a charity dedicated to supporting people who have been bereaved by suicide. They run support groups which are peer groups, meaning that the person facilitating the groups has been bereaved by suicide themselves. You can sign up online – someone from HUGG will phone you back and give you more information about the groups in your area.
If you are not the person directly in need of support, they also have a section on their website for people who are worried about someone who have been bereaved by suicide. You can find it here. This section of the site also has some articles that might be helpful to someone who has been bereaved themselves.
If you have lost someone in your life to suicide, please don’t suffer alone. It’s ok if talking about it feels hard – there are supports out there who know how to help. Please reach out – your students’ union or campus counsellor can be a good place to start if something like a peer group feels too much at first.
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