The rights of the survivor
Found this on a website, may be useful to anyone who is a survivor of bereavement by suicide
THE RIGHTS OF THE SURVIVOR
The survivor has the right:
to mourn in his or her own way and within the time it takes.
to know the truth about the suicide, to see the body of the deceased, and to organise the funeral with respect to one’s own ideas and rituals.
to consider suicide as the result of several interrelated causes that produced unbearable pain for the deceased: suicide is not a free choice.
to live wholly, with joy and sorrow, free of stigma or judgement.
to have his or her privacy respected as well as that of the deceased.
to find support from relatives, friends, colleagues… and from professional helpers who have knowledge and insight in the dynamics of bereavement, potential risk factors, and in the administrative consequences.
to be contacted by the clinician/caregiver (if any) who treated the deceased person.
to not be considered as a suicide candidate or as a patient.
to place one’s experience in the service of other survivors, caregivers and anyone who seeks to better understand suicide and suicide bereavement.
to never be as before: there is a life before the suicide and a life afterwards.
THE RIGHTS OF THE SURVIVOR
The survivor has the right:
to mourn in his or her own way and within the time it takes.
to know the truth about the suicide, to see the body of the deceased, and to organise the funeral with respect to one’s own ideas and rituals.
to consider suicide as the result of several interrelated causes that produced unbearable pain for the deceased: suicide is not a free choice.
to live wholly, with joy and sorrow, free of stigma or judgement.
to have his or her privacy respected as well as that of the deceased.
to find support from relatives, friends, colleagues… and from professional helpers who have knowledge and insight in the dynamics of bereavement, potential risk factors, and in the administrative consequences.
to be contacted by the clinician/caregiver (if any) who treated the deceased person.
to not be considered as a suicide candidate or as a patient.
to place one’s experience in the service of other survivors, caregivers and anyone who seeks to better understand suicide and suicide bereavement.
to never be as before: there is a life before the suicide and a life afterwards.
Replies
I\'m glad you found this and thankful that you were moved to share it. I know it will speak to many. Hugging you with all my heart, Teri.
Anne, I hope you will post this on Suicide Survivors...finding God in all of this...it speaks volumes...thank you, dear friend....hugs, dale...brandon\'s mom
WONDERFUL!! Thank you for sharing this.
I appreciate this. My son was a suicide too, and yes it is so complex. I was hurt deeply by my sisters unthinking criticism of my son after his death and it haunts me sometimes. She has no idea how her words cut my heart in peaces on the very day he died. Thank God for FMO, I could not get through these months without it. Terry
The key word is survivor!