Am J Psychiatry 1990; 147:279-285
Copyright © 1990 by American Psychiatric Association
Sequelae of bereavement resulting from suicide
DE Ness and CR Pfeffer
New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, Westchester Division, White Plains, N.Y.
Although clinical experience suggests that individuals who have been
bereaved as a result of suicide may be especially vulnerable to adverse
sequelae, such as unusually severe grief or increased risk of committing
suicide themselves, the idea that this type of bereavement is special has
received only limited systematic investigation. The authors review the
literature on the subject, with special attention to the clinical and
research evidence about whether bereavement resulting from suicide is
different from bereavement due to other types of death, and make
suggestions for further clinical and epidemiological research on this
question.
