Grant: CIHR New Investigator

Suicide often has a devastating effect on the surviving family members. Those who are bereaved by suicide (suicide survivors) frequently experience major emotional problems such as depression. Even more worrisome is that family members who lose a relative to suicide are at risk of suicide themselves. Not surprisingly, suicide survivors say they need help. Unfortunately, the type of help they need is not known. Suicide survivors are not well studied and therefore there is a poor understanding of the problems they experience. There is disagreement among experts about the emotional consequences of suicide bereavement. There are no studies examining the physical problems that may affect suicide survivors, such as heart disease or high blood pressure, even though it is known that these diseases are common among people bereaved from other causes of death. Although they express a need for help, there is no knowledge of whether they see doctors regularly or use medications when needed. It is thus extremely important to carefully study people bereaved by suicide in order to understand their difficulties. This study will investigate the emotional, physical, and social consequences of suicide bereavement in the entire population of Manitoba, providing the first ever large-scale perspective of suicide's effects on surviving relatives. It will also look at vulnerable groups including children who have lost a parent to suicide, as well as parents who have lost a child to suicide, to see if these groups suffer in different ways. Findings from this study will help identify the problems faced by suicide survivors, leading to better resources and treatment for these people in need.