Suicide Grief: News & Comment

Julie Cerel, Ph.D. and Vanessa McGann, Ph.D. are looking into what survivors experience when and if they seek help.  They are conducting an online study about survivor loss and the experiences they may have had in individual counseling or therapy services following the loss.  At this point, not much is known about what is helpful or unhelpful for survivors of suicide loss as they cope with the experience in general. We know that survivors have differing experiences in individual counseling, but we aren’t sure what makes individual counseling a positive and helpful process for some but not for others. Hopefully your participation in this study will help to better understand the experiences of survivors of suicide loss in general, as well as the ways in which individual counseling impacted your grief experience. Please  consider participating in this study.

Kim Ruocco, the national director of suicide education and outreach at TAPS (Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors) brought together military families whose loved ones died by suicide for a four-day Memorial weekend event.
Survivors of military suicide victims come to gether to grieve
 

ADEC, the Association for Death Education and Counseling, has made two valuable resources publicly available on the Internet, which cover important background information on the proposed removal of the bereavement exclusion for depression in the DSM-V (see "DSM Debate Grows over Grief and Depression"). The newly revised and updated Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-V) -- which is the result of several years of intensive and comprehensive review, analysis, and discussion by the foremost experts in the world -- is expected to be completed by the end of the year. The ADEC resources are free to access:

A recent New York Times article highlights a growing controversy over the next version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (commonly called "the DSM"), which is the bible of classifications of mental disorders in the United States.

Even as it is due at the printers in December, new material planned for DSM-V is being intensely debated, including the proposed elimination of the current exclusion from a diagnosis of depression for a person experiencing grief:

Under the current criteria, a depression diagnosis requires that a person have five of nine symptoms -- which include sleeping problems, a feeling of worthlessness and a loss of concentration -- for two weeks or more. The criteria make an explicit exception for normal grieving, which can look like depression (Benedict Carey - "Grief Could Join List of Disorders" - New York Times - 01/24/2012).

On one side of the argument are those who believe the current exclusion does a disservice to grieving people who would benefit from a diagnosis of (and treatment for) depression:

“If someone is suffering from severe depression symptoms one or two months after a loss or a death, and I can’t make a diagnosis of depression, [says Dr. David Kupfer, professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine,] well, that is not being clinically proactive. That person may then not get the treatment they need” (Carey).

On the other side are those who fear that grief will come to be considered as an illness:

“An estimated 8 to 10 million people lose a loved one every year, and something like a third to a half of them suffer depressive symptoms for up to month afterward,” [says Dr. Jerome Wakefield of New York University]. This [eliminating the exclusion] would pathologize them for behavior previously thought to be normal” (Carey).

The holiday season always comes with numerous news stories intended to help bereaved people take care of themselves during a time that can be difficult for anyone who has lost a loved one. The advice below -- from renowned bereavement expert Kenneth Doka -- stands out for its wisdom, clarity, and usefulness.

During a grief therapy session Doka was facilitating with several widows,

One woman whose husband recently died asked, "Who should sit at the head of the table?" taking her husband's place. [Doka] asked the group how they had handled it. One woman placed her youngest grandchild there to remind the family of its continuity. Another said her eldest son sat there. Another woman said that she sat there since she was now the family leader.

Which response was right? "They all were. Each response met the needs of the person, and each was a comfortable choice," explained Doka.

This is the key to coping with the holidays: Find the way that is right for you.