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Coping after suicide how do I get the kids through it when I've no idea myself?

6 replies

Mossop17 · 12/10/2018 21:05

My sil took her life in January. My dd11 knows it was suicide but does not know the method. She's really struggling on an almost daily basis. My other dd8 is now struggling too but does not know the cause of death. They both need my support but I'm struggling with it too! How can I help them make sense of a senseless situation? For context we are a small family they are the only children and their aunt saw them only a few times a year but if doesn't stop them missing her.

OP posts:
Chapellass · 13/10/2018 23:22

I would speak to Winston's Wish they were a great help to my friend's children when a relative committed suicide

Chapellass · 13/10/2018 23:23

& sorry for your loss Thanks

griefindisguise · 14/10/2018 00:40

Hi Mossop17
I'm sorry to hear about your loss, life can be so hard. My husband died by suicide in 2016. At the time my kids were aged 3 and 7. I got a lot of guidance and professional advice about how to approach my husbands death with my children. My advice to you would be to speak honestly with your children but in a child appropriate manner. I told my eldest daughter that daddy stopped his own heart and that his brain wasn't working right. She has never asked me the method but if she did even now at age 9, I would tell her I'm not very sure about the method and that is a question I will need to speak to the doctor about. I think it is important they know how but they do not need to know about methods at such a young age. It is too traumatic for a child. If she asks when she is older I will tell her the truth. Best of luck to you all 🌼

OrchidD · 14/10/2018 09:17

I am by no means an expert but what griefindisguise said sounds very appropriate. Honest but sensitive.

I am so sorry for your losses Mossop and griefindisguise Flowers

Matilda15 · 29/10/2018 21:48

Firstly sorry for your loss. I would second Winstons Wish, they sent me a great book which helped me explain to DS 7 what had happened to his Daddy when he ended his life.

Essentially what I told him was “Daddy had a poorly brain and none of us knew, Daddy’s poorly brain meant the chemicals stopped working properly and when that happened it made Daddy do something very dangerous which meant he wouldn’t be alive anymore. It is important that you know that if Daddy’s brain hadn’t been poorly he would never have done anything dangerous”

DS hasn’t asked what the dangerous thing was but the advice is to tell him as simply as possible.

The thing that stuck with me was when Winston’s Wish said it’s important to treat mental health like any other illness, like cancer or a heart attack. His Daddy was poorly and that made him die.

They also said to remember that children are very accepting, if you or someone else think you have explained something wrong or could have worded it better you can always say “remember when you asked X? Well Mummy/Daddy/Grandad didn’t explain that quite right, would it be ok for me to try and answer that again?” I’ve done that quite a few times due to well meaning family saying the worst possible answers to DS questions and he’s always accepted it well.

If your children are struggling I’d hugely recommend CHUMs, our assigned counselor has been wonderful and always on the end of the phone if I need help with a question.

Hope that helps and apologies if I’ve overstepped the mark.

Loopy9 · 29/10/2018 21:53

I’m so sorry for your loss. An alternative is to visit www.daisysdream.org.uk/Pages/Category/services-we-provide
Who have provided amazing support to my family after suicide.
All the best x

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