Ripples of Despair - Shining a light on the impact of lives lost to alcohol, drugs, and suicide (2024)
Support following bereavement (post-vention)
Postvention refers to the support offered to individuals and communities after a death by suicide. Suicide has far-reaching ripple effects, often leaving those affected struggling with grief, mental health challenges and an increased risk of suicide themselves (202).
Yet many people in our communities do not seek the support they need, with one UK study finding that 25% of people bereaved by suicide received no support at all. Those who did often faced delays or lacked informal support compared to people grieving natural deaths (203).
Lack of support is a concern, as early intervention and effective support for those bereaved by suicide can act as important means of suicide prevention in a group who are at increased risk of poor mental health, suicidal thoughts and attempts, and dying by suicide. People bereaved may need the opportunity to access support services on more than one occasion at different stages of grief (204).
There is not a formal postvention support process in Gateshead for someone who has been bereaved by a drug or alcohol related death, but there are informal processes.
During Drug and Alcohol related death review meetings, for example, other individuals who may be at risk or affected by the death are identified, and the appropriate service reaches out to offer advice or support to help reduce further harm or deaths.
Specialist drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services in Gateshead can also offer support directly to family who contact the service following a death. If people accessing the service are affected by a death, the service will reach out and offer support and further harm reduction advice, such as trauma therapy and counselling.
While there is more structured support available within Gateshead from bereavement or mental health organisations in the area, it is not widely known about and may leave bereaved communities feeling unsure of where to turn to for support.
Embracing a compassionate place approach would support those experiencing loss unexpectedly from suicide, as the impact of grief and loss would be better understood by society and those impacted offered support by their wider communities, including the workplace.