E-Book, Englisch, 424 Seiten
Andriessen / Krysinska / Grad Postvention in Action
2017
ISBN: 978-1-61334-493-4
Verlag: Hogrefe Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark
The International Handbook of Suicide Bereavement Support
E-Book, Englisch, 424 Seiten
ISBN: 978-1-61334-493-4
Verlag: Hogrefe Publishing
Format: EPUB
Kopierschutz: 6 - ePub Watermark
A unique and comprehensive handbook presenting the state of the art in suicide bereavement support
Suicide is not merely the act of an individual; it always has an effect
on others and can even increase the risk of suicide in the bereaved.
The International Association for Suicide Prevention, the World
Health Organisation, and others have recognized postvention as an
important strategy for suicide prevention. This unique and
comprehensive handbook, authored by nearly 100 international
experts, including researchers, clinicians, support group facilitators,
and survivors, presents the state-of-the-art in suicide bereavement
support.
The first part examines the key concepts and the processes that
the bereaved experience and illustrates them with illuminating
clinical vignettes. The second and third parts look in detail at suicide
support in all the most relevant settings (including general practices,
the workplace, online and many others) as well as in specific groups
(such as health care workers).
In the concluding section, the support provided for those
bereaved by suicide in no less than 23 countries is explored in detail,
showing that postvention is becoming worldwide strategy for
suicide prevention. These chapters provide useful lessons and
inspiration for extending and improving postvention in new and
existing areas. This unique handbook is thus essential reading for
anyone involved in suicide prevention or postvention research and
practice.
Zielgruppe
Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, psychotherapists, and
counselors, as well as students.
Autoren/Hrsg.
Fachgebiete
Weitere Infos & Material
|XV|Preface
Postvention
Every year, more than 800,000 people die by suicide; that is one suicide every 40 seconds (World Health Organization [WHO], 2014). Though suicide is an individual act, it happens within a sociocultural environment and a relational context. Hence, feelings of abandonment, rejection, and being a part of the “decision” for suicide are frequent among the bereaved by suicide. The bereaved may face a long and painful process of acknowledging and expressing their feelings of shock, guilt, shame, anger, and/or relief. They often struggle with thoughts, doubts, and agonizing questions related to “why this has happened,” and “if I had done – or not done – this or that, it would not have happened.” The bereaved cope with the loss, sometimes on their own, sometimes with the help of family or friends. Some turn to support groups or seek advice or therapy from professionals. Given that suicide bereavement is a risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes and suicidal behavior, there is a need for adequate suicide bereavement support. Fifty years ago Edwin Shneidman coined the term postvention, referring to the support for those left behind after a suicide (Shneidman, 1969). At that time, suicidology was a young discipline, and there was neither support for the bereaved nor postvention research. Currently, postvention integrates a dual aim of facilitating recovery after suicide, and preventing adverse health outcomes among the bereaved (Andriessen, 2009). Suicide bereavement support has become available in many countries and has been recognized by the WHO (2014) as an important strategy for suicide prevention. The WHO stipulates that communities can provide support to those bereaved by suicide (WHO, 2014, p. 9), that interventions should be offered to grieving individuals (WHO, 2014, p. 37), and national suicide prevention objectives should include support for the bereaved by suicide (WHO, 2014, p. 54). It suffices to say that the evolutions of the past few decades have been truly impressive. Importantly, in many countries, survivor support has been initiated by the bereaved themselves, and clinicians and researchers have followed. In many countries, still, those bereaved by suicide are actively involved in suicide bereavement support, as well as in suicide prevention activities and research. Indeed, the days are over when postvention was looked upon as the poor counterpart of prevention: This handbook evidences the global research and clinical interest in survivor support. Postvention has become an integral and indispensable part of any comprehensive suicide prevention program. Suicidology and suicide prevention without the active involvement of survivors would be poor suicidology. Postvention is prevention. Postvention is action. Postvention in Action
Experiences with suicide loss, working with people bereaved by suicide, involvement in postvention research and development of support programs have inspired the three editors of this handbook. It has been written for clinicians and researchers, as well as for support group facilitators and survivors involved in community activities. 94 experts from all over the world have contributed to this book. The authors have generously shared their knowledge, experience, and insights into implications for the practice of suicide survivor support. The editors of the handbook and many contributing authors are members of the International Association for Suicide |XVI|Prevention (IASP), and specifically of the IASP Special Interest Group (SIG) on Suicide Bereavement and Postvention, which has become a major platform for the exchange of research and clinical expertise related to suicide bereavement support. Interestingly, the awareness of suicide bereavement support within the IASP has been raised due to the advocacy of dedicated survivors–researchers and survivors–clinicians, especially in the 1990s, which resulted in the first plenary presentations on postvention at IASP world congresses, and the establishment by Professor Norman L. Farberow of a Taskforce on Postvention in 1999, the taskforce being the forerunner of the current SIG. This handbook aims to present a comprehensive overview of the state of the art of postvention, and demonstrates the evidence and practice base of suicide survivor support. All chapters are based on thorough reviews of the literature and/or original research of the authors. The book is organized into four parts. Part I is an in-depth and comprehensive presentation of current knowledge of suicide bereavement. This includes a discussion of concepts and definitions, and the age- and gender-related effects of suicide loss, especially in adults and adolescents. The following chapters focus on the grief process and on how the bereaved deal with the loss. These chapters, illustrated with vignettes, will be highly informative for clinicians, and present novel insights regarding posttraumatic growth after suicide loss, trajectories of dealing with feelings of responsibility and guilt, challenges regarding meaning making, and the process of reintegration after experiencing a suicide. Starting with a scholarly overview of the history of survivor support, Part II of the handbook discusses suicide bereavement support in a variety of settings, including underresearched areas that may be more challenging or may require special attention regarding provision of services and support. Chapters in this part have been written by clinicians and/or researchers with ample practical experience. These chapters present a review of the effectiveness of support groups (the best-known format of survivor support), and differences in priorities of support groups between countries (Japan and the United States). Other chapters explore the suitability and pitfalls of peer counseling, and provide insights regarding the roles that general practitioners may have in survivor support. Other chapters address how bereaved families can be supported through the forensic and coronial services, discuss how workplaces may provide survivor support, and examine the roles of religion and spirituality in suicide bereavement support. Part II concludes with an overview of the fast-growing field of online suicide bereavement support, and a presentation of how personal experiences and artistic expressions can be used for the benefit of those bereaved by suicide. Part III focuses on suicide bereavement support in specific populations. While cluster-suicide and murder–suicide events may be rare, their traumatic aftermath warrants dedicated aftercare. Suicide-bereaved parents may be in need of survivor support; however, they may have lost trust in the health care system. Health professionals who have lost a client by suicide also have to deal with the impact of the loss, and may do so in a variety of ways. Little is known about the Indigenous peoples’ experience with a suicide loss, and the elders of Ojibway First Nation have shared their knowledge of healing practices involving family and the community, and the important roles of rituals and spirituality. Part IV presents an overview of postvention practice and research in no less than 23 countries. Besides chapters covering the “usual suspects” such as the United States and western European countries, this part includes chapters presenting postvention in South America, the Asia-Pacific, and Africa. Obviously a wide variety of suicide survivor support has been developed and implemented across the world. Many countries included in this part of the handbook report on the availability of support groups; however, it is also clear that support groups may have a variety of formats and goals. For example, authors from Uruguay and Thailand report on the availability of therapeutic, professionally led groups, whereas in other countries peer-led |XVII|groups are also available. Other countries, such as Denmark and France, report wide availability of individual psychotherapy. Most of the survivor organizations are volunteer-based or involve a collaboration of professionals and peers (e.g., Canada and Italy). Typically, these organizations provide one point of access, such as a...
