Grief of Families

They say to grieve is to have loved and to love is to oneday grieve.

We will never stop grieving Brittany because our love will never stop.

There is no right or wrong way to grieve but if you find yourself “stuck” just as we have in any one of the grieving patterns. Then please seek help either with one of the following numbers listed below provided by the America Foundation for Suicide Prevention.

Always In Our Hearts

And Never Far From Our Thoughts

Grieving the death of Brittany has been unquestionably one of the hardest things we as her family and friends have ever had to go through thus far in life. We have all had strong feelings of sadness, loneliness, fear, anxiety; guilt, resentment, and anger over the past 11 months. According to, The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, (AFSP,2011) that those feelings are a normal grief pattern. AFSP went on to say that “experiencing any or all of these emotions during acute grief can be very normal” (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2011).However, as Brittany’s parents we are what AFSP and the Grief Counselors define as, "stuck" in the grieving process and suffering from the condition called Complicated Grief (CG) (American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, 2011).

Some of the signs according to the AFSP of Complicated Grief are:

∞ Strong desire to be with your loved one again.

∞ Trying to do things to feel closer or near loved one.

∞ Spending a lot of time looking at pictures or videos to feel as if the individual has never left.

∞ Visiting the grave; again and again, even though the weather or road conditions could be hazardous driving conditions.

∞ Very emotional when reminded of loved one who died that they want to avoid these reminders.

∞ Feel as life is empty and meaningless.

∞ Feel as if joy is no longer possible.

∞ Frequently feel angry or bitter about what happened.

∞ Feel confused about what to do with your life now.

∞ Feel distant from family and friends, who seem like they don't understand and are disappointed in their inability to adjust to the loss.

The National Center for Grieving Children & Families
503-775-5683
www.dougy.org
Publishes extensive resources for helping children and teens who are grieving the death of a parent, sibling, or friend, including, "After Suicide: A Workbook for Grieving Kids."International Association for Suicide Prevention
Phone: +33 562 29 19 47
http://www.iasp.info/postvention.php
An international organization with a task force and newsletter dedicated specifically to postvention. Website lists organizations and support groups for survivors of suicide loss around the world.

American Association of Suicidology
(202)237-2280
www.suicidology.org
Promotes public awareness, education, and training for professionals, and sponsors an annual "Healing After Suicide" conference for survivors.American Psychiatric Association
1-888-357-7924
www.healthyminds.org
Information about mental heath and choosing a psychiatrist.American Psychological Association
1-800-374-2721
www.apa.org

Resource for referrals to psychologists.Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention
(204)784-4073
www.casp-acps.ca
Online list of Canadian survivor support groups. Promotes public awareness, training, education, advocacy.
The Compassionate Friends
(630) 990-0010
www.compassionatefriends.org

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