Being an Adolescent Suicide Survivor

Suicide is a tragic act. The real victims of the tragedy are the individuals who are left behind to cope with the trauma of loosing a significant other. They often struggle with unanswerable questions self-blaming stigmatisation and confusion. Very little is known regarding the qualitative aspects of adolescent suicide survivors' emotional experiences meaning-making and coping behaviour. This book describes a study of the lived experiences of female late adolescent suicide survivors. It primarily uses a psychological-phenomenological approach. Data collection consisted of collage-facilitated face-to-face phenomenological interviews. The data were analysed according to Giorgi's phenomenological method. The analysis revealed three peri-suicide experience clusters (Awareness of victim's suicide-associated behaviour directly prior to the suicide Immediate reactions on becoming aware of the suicide and Reactions in the days following the suicide) and three post-suicide experience clusters (Falling apart Being shattered and Putting the pieces back together). The analysis should be helpful to suicide survivors and to professionals in Psychology and Suicidology.