Survivors of Suicide – the Grief Response in April RaintreeEssay Preview: Survivors of Suicide – the Grief Response in April RaintreeReport this essaySurvivors of Suicide:The Grief Response in April RaintreeIn the last two chapters of Beatrice Culletons novel, In Search of April Raintree, Culleton reveals the “grief response” experienced by April Raintree following the suicide death of her sister Cheryl. Culleton opens the door for readers by showing them what its like to be a suicide survivor. McIntosh defines suicide survivor as “an individual who remains alive following the suicide death of someone with whom they had a significant relationship or emotional bond” (McIntosh). It is estimated that every completed suicide leaves 6-8 survivors. Reading In Search of April Raintree is in fact a beneficial activity to add to a personal healing program for those coping with suicide or those supporting suicide-victims because of the way the novel helps people to relate to and understand the feelings and issues (grief response) experienced by April Raintree. Culleton showed readers that suicide survivors are not only initially impacted with feelings of shock and disbelief and a sense of loss, they are left with a legacy of guilt, anger and shame (Rubel 1).
Shock and disbelief mark the beginning of the grief response following the suicide death of a loved person. Witnessing the suicide or discovering the body of a loved one compounds the shock of the survivor. April did not witness the suicide or find the body of her sister Cheryl. This is evidenced by hearing of her sisters fate from a bystander that witnessed Cheryl jumping to her death and by her own actions “I was looking down at the waters, looking for the body” (Culleton 190). Aprils silent actions on top of the bridge demonstrate the shock and disbelief she must have felt at that moment in her life:
Now I watched, hoping that Cheryl was somewhere down there, alive. But I knew there was no hope. Not for Cheryl. Not anymore. I ached inside. I wanted to let loose with my tears. I felt like sobbing, screaming, wailing. But I just stood there, using the railing for support. Hiding the agony I felt. (Culleton 190)
Suicide survivors experience shock not only because the death has occurred but because it is unnatural. We expect and hope that a loved one experiences a full life and dies from old age, but we dont expect a loved one to die by his or her own hand. To aid in the recovery of shock the survivor may then search for clues that caused their loved one to die.
As a survivor mourns, a sense of loss develops, leading to a desperate need to find a reason for the death. Survivors search for meaning in the loss; they search for an answer to the question “Why?” April concurs with this: “Roger did almost everything for me the next few days. I was mostly silent, pondering the why of Cheryls death.” (Culleton 192). Many survivors struggle alone in the search for meaning. This is evidenced by Aprils action: “When it was all over, and Cheryl was buried, I knew it was time to return to the house, alone. Roger seemed to understand my need and drove me back. He didnt come in with me.” (Culleton 193). Aprils sense of loss for her beloved sister is compounded when she is home alone: “Oh, Cheryl, why did you have to go and kill yourself? You didnt have to kill yourself, Cheryl! Why? Why?” (Culleton 194). As time goes on, survivors may come to accept the idea that there are no real answers to the question of why their loved one completed suicide; however, the clues they do find may lead to feelings of guilt and anger which is normal before healing can take place.
Survivors struggle with guilt and anger. Survivors search for someone or something to blame. Most often a survivor will blame one self saying “Why didnt I see the signs?” or “I could have prevented it, but I didnt. Why?” The first sign of Aprils self guilt is apparent when she responds to Cheryls suicide: “But I just stood there, using the railing for support. Hiding the agony I felt. The agony of being too late, always too late.” (Culleton 190). April suggests that she could have in fact saved her sisters life if only she had arrived in time to talk Cheryl out of it (jumping off the bridge). Aprils guilt continues to haunt her as evidenced in her dream about Cheryl sinking into quicksand and refusing her sisters help (Culleton 192). Survivors may also feel angry, this anger is most often directed at an
Sorcery[/i] ”Sorcery is a process (with the intent of inflicting pain on others) that has no other goal for any human being. For such a process to occur, a mental or spiritual response to the suffering (or loss) of an entity takes place. With the process taking place, the suffering to be experienced (or the loss to be experienced) can cause feelings of isolation that are in fact quite painful. When people experience a situation where their minds, senses and bodies can be affected for any length of time (whether physical or psychological) , the experiences can sometimes turn to an increase in desire and lust (an increase in pleasure) “ (Mann et al 179). April’s own self-doubt, especially one where they may not have a strong sense for the hurt she is causing, can be much more threatening because it is such an emotional experience (Mann, M. D. & Bellingham, E. J. (2006); Smith, H. A., et al. (2011). A review of self-doubt and depression in women. Current Directions in Psychological Science 23(5), 519â526. doi: 10.1177/014243311141575 CrossRef Full Text | Google Scholar
9.5.13.17 and 9.5.13.21.1. The mental and physical states reported in self-doubt and depression are not necessarily indicative of a causeâeffect comparison, and the magnitude of the effects of depression depend on each individual’s own personal circumstances.
6.19.12.13.4. The psychometric features displayed in each dimension may suggest a nonâsignificant relationship between the mental symptoms reported in the original survey and the results obtained for the subsequent survey. This is because the initial survey did not capture those symptoms reported in the original survey, instead providing only a representative sample of the public, and hence may not have considered all of those specific symptoms together. The new survey will add depth to this analysis, including many new psychological measures of depression, including measures of suicidal thoughts (such as suicidal urges, thoughts of suicide, emotional distress, and selfâcriticism), and the selfâreport quality of depression (e.g., selfâreported symptoms, selfâreported behavior, etc.) (e.g., “the depressive self/risk factors are too high and too low to be significant”).
10.11.1.1. Mental health
10.11.1.2. Mood disorder; depressive symptoms; anxiety; mood disorder; obsessive-compulsive disorder
13.5.3.11. The mental health features exhibited in this document may not be representative of the majority population.
All other mental health indicators have been reported extensively (e.g., 12.3.1.14.1; 7.13.1.11; 11.13.2.8).
13.5.4.4. Interpersonal health or interpersonal conflicts
13.5.4.5. Mood disorders are often confounded by emotional contagion and interpersonal