Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior 31(1) Spring 2001 91 2001 The American Association of Suicidology Is Suicide Bereavement Different? A Reassessment of the Literature

The question of whether suicide bereavement is different from mourning after other types of deaths has important theoretical and clinical implications. Some recent literature reviews have argued that the differences may be minimal. In contrast, this article suggests that suicide bereavement is distinct in three signif-icant ways: the thematic content of the grief, the social processes surrounding the survivor, and the impact suicide has on family systems. In addition, problems in the methodology used to compare different bereavement experiences are ad-dressed. Some clinical implications of these conclusions, including the need for homogeneous support groups, psychoeducational services, and family and social network interventions are also discussed. It would seem obvious that surviving the ample, van der Wal (1989–1990) concluded that “there is no empirical evidence for thedeath of a loved one from suicide is a difficult experience, one that has the potential to pro- popular notion that survivors of suicide show more pathological reactions and a more com-duce a markedly different type of mourning process from other types of losses. Certainly, plicated and prolonged grief process tha