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Bereavement

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Inquest into friend's death

68 replies

spababe · 22/02/2021 18:43

Hello, my friend took her own life about 18 months ago. I found it very hard to deal with particularly as I had only seen her the previous day. We were not close friends but our kids were and so we were in and out of each other's houses for the last 15 years. My grief was stronger than I would have anticipated and my son had to have counselling.
The inquest is next week and family can 'attend' on Zoom. Is there anywhere inquests are reported? I need peace of mind over what happened. I need to know Whys. However I don't want to intrude on the family or be put in an awkward position.

OP posts:
typicalvalues · 23/02/2021 00:43

I'm glad it has helped to share the thinking I've had in the past. Alcoholism is horrific and failing to recover can drive you over the edge.

I don't know the circumstances of the OP's friend but you may possibly never know. Suicide, I don't believe, is ever done maliciously.

Lochmorlich · 23/02/2021 00:47

@LookingForSalt. So interesting what you say about car accidents perhaps being suicides.
My dh’s cousin died in a very unusual car accident.
I always suspected it may be suicide.
There was no reason the crash should or could have happened accidentally.

typicalvalues · 23/02/2021 00:56

[quote Griefmonster]@LadyInParis my sister died by suicide leaving my 2 DNs. This that a PP said us so so true:
My answer would be that she loved you so much that she couldn't cope with failing
I know how much my DSis loved her children. Fiercely, completely. Without a doubt she thought, on some strange level, she was doing it for them, for all of us family that she livted so much.

OP - perhaps because I feel like your friend could be my sister, I feel sensitive to your questioning of her motives. You really need to work through this yourself, with a counseller. I am very sorry for your loss. It is a devastating way to be bereaved.[/quote]
Loving them fiercely and completely rings absolutely true with me, yet I have felt suicidal in certain circumstances. I think when the love is very strong, the other feelings (negative feelings) may also be felt very strongly. Failure, guilt, feeling like you've let them down, despair etc.

I really don't think that any mother has taken their own lives out of a lack of love for their children. I believe that is absolutely the opposite.

typicalvalues · 23/02/2021 01:00

And it absolutely would not be due to anything a child has done. Barring maybe being arrested for murder as an adult child or something, and even then, a mother will almost always maintain contact with that child.

A mother's love IS fierce and all-consuming and absolute. What causes a mother to break and choose death, with ultimately be a completely held belief that they are doing no harm and that they have failed.

LadyInParis · 23/02/2021 01:05

@typicalvalues

I don't know the circumstances of the OP's friend but you may possibly never know. Suicide, I don't believe, is ever done maliciously.

The part about possibly never knowing is so true. You have little detail; you make up the remainder and it’s worse. Lots of detail; you have more questions which you make up the answers to and it’s worse. Counselling would be my step forward here op

JerichoGirl · 23/02/2021 01:10

[quote LadyInParis]@LookingForSalt

Thank you, I don’t know what to say! You seem so very insightful, kind, and lovely, and I appreciate your posts a lot. Thank you 🙏 And you’re very right- it’s like on one hand from a logic view, the reasons are clear. But from a child view- not so much at all. It has damaged my life in ways that I cannot put into words. Confusion, guilt, feeling not even good enough for a parent, seeing how good a person and mother she was when she was well versus what she did and had us see as children (incredible violence from her husband) and so on. It’s very hard to balance the scales and very traumatic to say the least even 20 years on. And you would think that given she’s been dead longer than I knew her alive, that it would get easier. But it doesn’t. You’re left with so much more because of the length of time. I still want my mum. I still cry out for a mummy. It’s awful. This is why I say that the emotional radioactive blast so to speak of suicide is absolutely HUGE so those saying this and that to the op that it isn’t her business etc have no idea of the effects. Either that or they have somehow disassociated from their own experience- which is very easy to do.[/quote]
It's very generous of you to share your achingly sad story. I'm sure there are people reading who you have helped.

I am not at all surprised that it doesn't feel any easier for you now than it did at the time, I am sure you still feel intense pain and loss. You lost your mum, which hurts like hell at any age, in a terrible way and at an age when you were very vulnerable.

It is extremely sad that you haven't had supportive family to assure you that you were in no way responsible for your mother's illness just as you wouldn't be if she had died of a physical illness. Your mother was extremely sick, it was in no way your fault, both she and you deserved much better care, and you deserve a good life.

typicalvalues · 23/02/2021 01:20

@LookingForSalt 100% agreed.

both she and you deserved much better care, and you deserve a good life. Couldn't have put it better. That is it. Your mother was failed and LadyinParis was failed by her carers. But the future is out there and hopefully it can all change for you.

LadyInParis · 23/02/2021 01:21

@LookingForSalt

mother's illness just as you wouldn't be if she had died of a physical illness. Your mother was extremely sick, it was in no way your fault, both she and you deserved much better care, and you deserve a good life

Thank you this is a wonderful way to put it (and for me to think about it differently too). I appreciate this. To be honest this thread has been a rollercoaster! In a good way. I want to help the op and I hope it’s true that others will gain value from reading my story. It has also been difficult to re hash- so I hope someone is reading and it helps somehow. At the same time, as difficult as it is to think about it all again, the responses from you and others on here has been of a value that I can’t put words on. And has helped me in ways I can’t quite describe. I appreciate each and every one. I also feel bad for derailing the op, I feel guilty over that as it wasn’t my intention. Like I said- rollercoaster! Guilt is obviously a recurring theme for me sadly. I really appreciate these posts though like I said because there are things said here from you all that I never thought of/ was told/ considered myself before. That are very healing. Thank you 🙏

typicalvalues · 23/02/2021 01:28

LadyinParis your story has helped me realise that suicide would not be the best option for my dc. So you've helped at least one person to try to stay alive. Flowers

LadyInParis · 23/02/2021 02:24

@typicalvalues

You have no idea of how truly, truly truly happy
I am to know this. From the bottom of my heart truly. You matter in this world! You matter to your dc. You’re a mum- I would literally kill, with my bare hands, to have my mum back. That can’t ever be replaced. Ever. Warts and all it doesn’t matter- I want my mum. I want her and I need her. With an ache that can’t be replaced by anyone ever. Keep fighting xxxx

typicalvalues · 23/02/2021 02:27

You too Lady!

LadyInParis · 23/02/2021 02:30

I will Flowers Smile

JerichoGirl · 23/02/2021 09:46

[quote Lochmorlich]@LookingForSalt. So interesting what you say about car accidents perhaps being suicides.
My dh’s cousin died in a very unusual car accident.
I always suspected it may be suicide.
There was no reason the crash should or could have happened accidentally.[/quote]
Oh that's very sad, I'm so sorry to hear that. X

toomanycremeeggs · 23/02/2021 11:40

I'm sorry for your loss

I am very familiar with suicidal feelings and have get very close to leaving my children in this way.

Feeling like this is a horrible place to be and there is no way my mind is working rationally at these times. Something takes over and feeling like that is soo awful - getting out feels like the only option sometimes.

It's not about leaving children and you certainly couldn't have helped the day before. She likely had it planned out and was going through motions the day she saw you.

Take care

spababe · 23/02/2021 15:06

@typicalvalues and @toomanycremeeggs Please please get some help if you are having suicidal feelings. One thing that struck me was the sheer number of people grieving at my friend's funeral - she had so many people who loved and missed her yet this love wasn't enough.
Please find some love and support in your lives. Your children love you unconditionally and no-one else will do - they need you. Remember, in a plane crash, you have to put on your own oxygen first before you can help someone else. Please find that oxygen supply. Your kids need you even when you think they don't. Even when they are adults themselves. Take care x

OP posts:
Griefmonster · 23/02/2021 15:59

@LookingForSalt, @typicalvalues, @LadyInParis so much wisdom and inssight from different perspectives. Holding you all in my heart x and everyone experiencing suffering and loss.

LadyInParis · 23/02/2021 16:19

@Griefmonster Flowers how kind xx

JerichoGirl · 23/02/2021 18:07

[quote spababe]**@typicalvalues* and @toomanycremeeggs* Please please get some help if you are having suicidal feelings. One thing that struck me was the sheer number of people grieving at my friend's funeral - she had so many people who loved and missed her yet this love wasn't enough.
Please find some love and support in your lives. Your children love you unconditionally and no-one else will do - they need you. Remember, in a plane crash, you have to put on your own oxygen first before you can help someone else. Please find that oxygen supply. Your kids need you even when you think they don't. Even when they are adults themselves. Take care x[/quote]
That's such a heartfelt message and I agree it's so sad to think your friend was so loved and yet felt so alone.

The thing about mental illness is that it disrupts the mind. Something like "getting help" which seems obvious to outsiders can be out of reach because the mind is not working. Some unwell people will reach out but it won't necessarily look like, "I feel suicidal, please look after me", and even those who do are frequently let down because of a widespread lack of awareness regarding what constitutes mental distress.

Beliefs such as "people who talk about suicide don't actually do it", "they're just saying it to get attention" are big barriers to a mentally unwell person getting appropriate help.

Indeed, the fact that some posters pepper a sensitive thread about suicide with comments such as "you're just being nosy" is very revealing about the level of ignorance around mental distress. In all honesty it speaks to those posters' own mental distress. We all know that a sane, well person does not post spiteful messages on a support thread.

Something we can do for ourselves and those around us is to be aware of a few truths around suicide (here's a link www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help/if-youre-worried-about-someone-else/myths-about-suicide/)
and if you are someone who struggles with mental health, to have a safety plan.(There are templates online.)

Love and light to all.

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