- September is Suicide Awareness Month highlighting the impact on those left behind.
- Support groups like LOSS offer community for suicide loss survivors in Utah counties.
SALT LAKE CITY — September is Suicide Awareness Month, and while the focus is often on prevention, it's also a time to recognize the pain carried by those left behind.
It's estimated that for every one person who dies by suicide, up to 135 people are impacted. Research shows that those who lose a loved one to suicide are much more likely to experience suicidal thoughts or behaviors themselves.
"Because of the stigma surrounding suicide, many people feel that they may have missed something, or they may have actually not attended to something with their loved one, and maybe could have prevented that suicide," said Dr. Mason Turner, senior medical director for the behavioral health clinical program at Intermountain Health. "You may not have picked up on any signs, because perhaps they weren't there."
Turner says guilt and self-blame are normal reactions, and professional help is critical to healing.
"Going through that grieving process is really important," he said. "Seeking bereavement resources, taking time for yourself, engaging in self-care — and asking for professional help if you think that would be helpful for you — these are all really important after you've lost someone to suicide. Don't isolate and experience this loss alone."
And while it can be difficult knowing how to support someone who has lost a loved one, Turner suggests starting the conversation in a gentle, non-judgmental way.
"If you want to approach someone who's lost a loved one by suicide, I think it's really important, first of all, to ask their permission. 'Are you ready to talk about that?'" he said. "I think it's also important that before you sit with that person, that you're prepared to sit with their grief, sit with their sadness, sit with them crying… let that person go through that and experience it."
"The grieving process, particularly when you've lost a loved one from suicide, is actually very, very individualized," he added. "Just being kind to yourself, understanding that your brain and your body and your mind will recover on the course of time that they want to recover on."
Turner emphasizes that survivors should not try to process their grief alone. Support groups for suicide loss survivors can provide community, while counseling and therapy offer additional tools for healing.
A local support group called LOSS — Loved Ones Suicide Survivors — holds twice-monthly support groups in Cache County, Salt Lake County, Utah County, and Washington County. For more information, including meeting times, visit their website.
Suicide prevention resources
If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of suicide, call 988 to connect with the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
Crisis hotlines
- Huntsman Mental Health Institute Crisis Line: 801-587-3000
- SafeUT Crisis Line: 833-372-3388
- 988 Suicide and Crisis LifeLine at 988
- Trevor Project Hotline for LGBTQ teens: 1-866-488-7386
Online resources
- NAMI Utah: namiut.org
- SafeUT: safeut.org
- Suicide and Crisis Lifeline: 988lifeline.org
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Utah chapter: afsp.org/chapter/utah
