Factors of seeking professional help by the bereaved by suicide

Losses involving suicide are characterized by various, often intense physical, cognitive, emotional reactions and social changes. As a result, the bereaved might be in need of support from their social network and help from professionals. As we know very little about the peculiarities of help-seeking behaviors of people bereaved by suicide, this study was aimed to analyse and describe factors related to seeking professional psychological help after the suicide of a loved one, including the specific features of grief following suicide (stronger feelings of stigmatization, shame and guilt). We analysed the link between mental health condition, attitudes towards seeking professional help, coping strategies, suicide bereavement peculiarities, social changes as well as demographic and loss-related characteristics, and seeking help from professionals after the suicide of an important person. 82 people bereaved by suicide participated in the study (64 women (78%), avr. age was 37.79 yrs., avr. time since loss was 12.23 mths.). Both quantitative and qualitative tools were used for the analysis of the research results. The study revealed that the subjective closeness of the relationship with the deceased, the value attributed to seeking professional psychological help and the frequency of using the strategy of emotional support when faced with difficulties significantly predicted the likelihood of seeking professional help after the suicide of another person. Also, the bereaved who sought professional help were characterized by stronger feelings of guilt, perceived stigmatization and more often experienced negative changes in their social relationships after the suicide

Stigma after suicide of a close relative

Stigmatization of suicidal behaviour affects suicide survivors‘ bereavement process and social interactions. The objective of this article is to analyse and describe suicide survivors‘ experience of stigmatization and its impact on how they feel. Methods. 23 suicide survivors (20 female, 3 male, average age 42 y.), who lost a close relative (parent, child, sibling or spouse) from 1 to 2 years before, were interviewed. Thematic analysis (Boyatzis, 1998; Braun & Clarke, 2006) was used for the data examination. Results. The study revealed manifestations of internalized stigma. Obvious or subtle stigmatizing reactions by people around were also present but rarer. Beliefs and practices related to Christian culture, emphasizing sinfulness of suicide, were expressed too. External and internalized stigma affect the survivors’ avoidance of social contacts, lessen accessibility of social support, increase feelings of shame and guilt, aggravating bereavement process. Conclusion. The study revealed the suicide survivors’ external and internalized stigma manifestations, affecting social interactions as well as experience of guilt and shame

Dėl savižudybės artimojo netekusių asmenų profesionalios pagalbos siekimo veiksniai

Losses involving suicide are characterized by various, often intense physical, cognitive, emotional reactions and social changes. As a result, the bereaved might be in need of support from their social network and help from professionals. As we know very little about the peculiarities of help-seeking behaviors of people bereaved by suicide, this study was aimed to analyse and describe factors related to seeking professional psychological help after the suicide of a loved one, including the specific features of grief following suicide (stronger feelings of stigmatization, shame and guilt). We analysed the link between mental health condition, attitudes towards seeking professional help, coping strategies, suicide bereavement peculiarities, social changes as well as demographic and loss-related characteristics, and seeking help from professionals after the suicide of an important person. 82 people bereaved by suicide participated in the study (64 women (78%), avr. age was 37.79 yrs., avr. time since loss was 12.23 mths.). Both quantitative and qualitative tools were used for the analysis of the research results. The study revealed that the subjective closeness of the relationship with the deceased, the value attributed to seeking professional psychological help and the frequency of using the strategy of emotional support when faced with difficulties significantly predicted the likelihood of seeking professional help after the suicide of another person. Also, the bereaved who sought professional help were characterized by stronger feelings of guilt, perceived stigmatization and more often experienced negative changes in their social relationships after the suicide

Gedulas po artimojo savižudybės: kaip padėti sau ar kitam?

Artimo žmogaus netektis – vienas labiausiai sukrečiančių gyvenimo įvykių. Iš esmės gedulas – ilgas ir skausmingas prisitaikymas prie to, kas buvo prarasta ir prie gyvenimo pokyčių po netekties (Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2010). Netekus brangaus žmogaus reaguojame tiek emociškai, tiek kūnu, tampa sunku atlikti darbines užduotis, bendrauti. Nors mokslininkai yra pasiūlę įvairių modelių, kuriais naudodamiesi galime geriau suprasti gedulo procesą, vienas dinamiškiausių – tai Stroebe ir Schut (1999) pateiktas netekties gedulo įveikos dvigubo proceso modelis (angl. The dual process model of coping with bereavement).Artimo žmogaus netektis – vienas labiausiai sukrečiančių gyvenimo įvykių. Iš esmės gedulas – ilgas ir skausmingas prisitaikymas prie to, kas buvo prarasta ir prie gyvenimo pokyčių po netekties (Stroebe, Schut, & Stroebe, 2010). Netekus brangaus žmogaus reaguojame tiek emociškai, tiek kūnu, tampa sunku atlikti darbines užduotis, bendrauti. Nors mokslininkai yra pasiūlę įvairių modelių, kuriais naudodamiesi galime geriau suprasti gedulo procesą, vienas dinamiškiausių – tai Stroebe ir Schut (1999) pateiktas netekties gedulo įveikos dvigubo proceso modelis (angl. The dual process model of coping with bereavement)

Health professionals and nonprofessionals‘ attitudes towards relatives of suicides

Negative attitudes towards relatives of suicides may impede their mourning process and lead to unavailability of required help. 61 health professionals and 45 nonprofessionals participated in this study. A situation about suicide in the family and a set of questions, aiming to analyze understanding and attitudes towards help to the bereaved, were given to the participants. Results were analyzed by qualitative data content (Bernard, Ryan, 2010) and statistical analysis. In summary, the situation of the bereaved (experiences, changes in family and work, reactions of other family members, public attitudes towards suicide) was seen as complex. The expression of negative attitudes towards relatives of suicides was minimal and both, health professionals and non-professionals, expressed positive attitudes towards help to the bereaved. However, some aspects (repeated guilt motif, often naming family relationships as a cause of suicide) might be seen as manifestations of negative attitudes towards relatives of suicides

Posttraumatic stress disorder and adjustment disorder in Lithuanian healthcare in 2018-2020: a nation-wide cohort study of the effects of COVID-19 pandemic

Multiple empirical studies have revealed significant pandemic effects of COVID-19 on mental health in various populations. This study aimed to analyze the incidences of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adjustment disorder (AjD) in national healthcare in 2018-2020 in one of the European countries Lithuania and estimate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on PTSD and AjD incidences in 2020. The national healthcare registry was used for estimations of diagnosis of PTSD, AjD, and major depressive disorder (MD). The study revealed that stress-related disorders PTSD and AjD are diagnosed rarely, resulting in a considerable gap between the expected prevalence and incidences of these diagnoses in healthcare in Lithuania. Moreover, a significant decline in mental disorders incidence in healthcare in 2020, in comparison to 2018 and 2019, was found, revealing that the COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on access to healthcare services and increased barriers for mental disorders treatment. The study indicates that major developments in building up knowledge about the effects of trauma and life stressors on mental health are needed in Lithuania and other countries to increase awareness about stress-related disorders and improve care for trauma survivors, in particular in the context of the pandemics or other large-scale disasters. Keywords: PTSD; stress related; prevalence; healthcare

Make suicide survivor to talk - challenge to researcher or to bereaved?

It is known that society is not inclined to talk about suicide. Studies confirm that people bereaving after the suicide of close one are more socially isolated or isolate themselves more. Therefore, this study was made with the aim to understand why suicide survivors avoid talking about their experience. In this study, 23 participants took part All of them survived the suicide of a close family member. Most narratives of participants show avoidance to talk about the deceased, death, suicide, or grief. They also reflect that this avoidance is two-sided. On the one hand, bereaved persons themselves avoid talking because avoidance is their coping strategy and they believe that other people are not able to understand their emotions or wish to protect themselves and the deceased family member. On the other hand, people around the bereaved ones may seek to keep distance because they are afraid of bereaved persons’ emotions and reactions and cannot understand grief well. Moreower, the stereotypes prevalent in society might also have influence here. Therefore, it is a challenge to both bereaved persons and people around them to break the suicide tabu in society

Exploring the links between various traumatic experiences and ICD-11 PTSD and Complex PTSD: a cross-sectional study

Background: The 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11) included two distinct trauma-related diagnoses—Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Complex Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (CPTSD). The initial diagnostic factor for both disorders is exposure to a traumatic event. This study aimed to explore whether exposure to different traumatic experiences distinguish risk for PTSD and CPTSD. Methods: The study sample comprised 158 trauma-exposed participants, M(SD)age = 33.61(9.73). The Life Events Checklist-Revised (LEC-R) was used to evaluate trauma exposure, and the International Trauma Questionnaire (ITQ) was used to assess risk for ICD-11 PTSD and CPTSD. Multinomial logistic regression was used to determine traumatic events as predictors of risk for PTSD and CPTSD. Results: Analysis revealed that sexual abuse experienced in childhood or adulthood was associated with both PTSD and CPTSD. History of other unwanted sexual experiences and childhood physical abuse predicted CPTSD compared to PTSD, whereas exposure to natural disasters predicted PTSD compared to CPTSD. Conclusions: The results showed that experiences of certain traumatic events, such as sexual trauma, childhood physical abuse or natural disasters, might help distinguish risk for PTSD and CPTSD. Nevertheless, future studies on specific aspects of trauma exposure are necessary. KEYWORDS trauma exposure, trauma type, posttraumatic stress, complex posttraumatic stress, ICD-11, risk factors