Surviving suicide

Résumé

Many bereaved people find it very difficult to get back to their normal world, because they have seen "the abyss." The chaos that is hidden in the background is not only a lack of order in their lives, but it is directly connected with the loss of a loved one (Giddens, 1991). So, sudden and unexpected death leads to an existential crisis because it harms the fundamental meaning of a human being's security (Janoff-Bulman, 1992). The experience of bereavement leads to the belief that the world has turned upside down; everything that was safe becomes uncertain, and human existence is experienced as extremely unfair and uncontrollable. Such feelings can persist for a long period after the loss of a loved one. Much of what we all take for granted in everyday life is no longer applicable, and this brutal upheaval requires tough mental and emotional adjustments with respect to reorganizing what has happened (Janoff-Bulman, 1992). In the early stage of mourning, people are looking for an explanation of the death occurrence, yet most of them are then interested in finding or rebuilding the sense of their own existence and integrating this death experience into their lives. Those who are able to do it over time can best manage the pain of loss (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved) ÂGE ENFANT ADOLESCENT ADULTE IDÉATION DEUIL ENDEUILLÉ DEUIL-SUICIDE PERTE-PROCHE PROCESSUS-DEUIL STIGMATISATION ISOLEMENT