Eventually we will all experience the death of someone close to us, and it is a more common experience as we get older. Over the course of our lives we are likely to experience the death of parents and other family members, and of friends and colleagues.
When someone dies we enter into the process of grieving. This is not just one feeling but can be a whole range of feelings that are part of a grieving process and with coming to terms with the death.
Although there is no right or wrong way to grieve, common feelings include being stunned at the loss, not believing that the event has actually happened, longing for the deceased person, anger towards yourself, health carers or others, guilt over a last encounter or what you would have liked them to know, and sadness or depression.
It is not unusual for the bereaved person to think they hear or see the deceased person in their daily lives. This is not uncommon and can be part of the grieving process.
Bereavement through suicide
The death of someone, especially through suicide, can be overwhelming. There may be a sense of shock that the person has taken their own life, there may be a sense of guilt that you could have prevented it from happening or you may feel hurt that they have left you.
All of these thoughts and feelings are normal reactions. It is difficult to identify the signs that someone will act on suicidal thoughts as they will often go to great lengths to hide their intentions. No one is to blame for another person taking their own life.
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