A Message from Ronnie Walker: "When
news arrives that a loved one has died by suicide, survivors are catapulted onto a journey not of their own choosing. Immediately after the loss, most survivors seek just to endure ... to get through ... the next hour, the next day, and the next week. It is enough, in the beginning, just to endure. It is an accomplishment, in the beginning, to do that.
In the first few weeks and months, survivors are usually not in control of their own emotions. The unimaginable has happened and life seems surreal. Emotional pain is intense and often debilitating. Many find it becomes difficult to eat or sleep or concentrate. They have no desire to engage in activities they previously enjoyed. In the beginning, emotions are often so intense that survivors ear they are "going and crazy " and will never experience peace or joy again.
People who experience loss by suicide are forever changed, but eventually most are able to experience peace as well as joy once again. It is useful to think of the time following loss as a 'journey.' This journey through grief is not short, nor easy. It may be the most difficult thing you have ever done. It is important to know that people do survive and even eventually go beyond just surviving to have happy, meaningful and contributory lives."
