BEREAVEMENT AFTER SUICIDE: A STUDY OF MEMORIALS ON THE INTERNET

This study compared the written memorials on websites posted by survivors of suicide with those written by people who had lost a significant other from natural causes, using a computer program, the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count. Thirteen significant differences were identified and, in addition, 13 differences that approach significance. Memorials written by survivors of suicide had longer sentences and used longer words. They had more death-related words, fewer references to the self or to the deceased (“you”), and more words reflective of anger and sadness. The results suggest the deaths from suicide had a more profound impact on the survivors than the natural deaths and results in greater emotional distress. When a person dies, those close to the deceased typically experience great sorrow, but the precise nature of the emotions experienced probably depends upon the cause of death. A death which is sudden and unexpected may have different consequences for the survivors than a death which was anticipated and for which the survivors had time to prepare. Even among unexpected deaths, the nature of the death may have an impact. Death from murder may leave survivors with different emotions than death from suicide or natural causes. Death from suicide may result in a complex and intense set of emotional responses, including sadness, grief, anguish, as well as anger and guilt. Other emotions are aroused by the stigma that society attaches to suicide. The suicide of a person suggests the presence of psychiatric disorder in the deceased, and this lead