Complicated Grief in Survivors of Suicide

Complicated grief is a newly defined and distinctive psychiatric disorder that occurs in response to a significant loss through death. New findings suggest that survivors who were close to the deceased are at heightened risk for complicated grief. Little is known about whether close kinship (spouses, parents, children, siblings, vs. in-laws, aunts/uncles, nieces/nephews, friends, or coworkers) to a suicide victim also represents a heightened risk for complicated grief. Assessing for complicated grief is important, especially with survivors of suicide, because of the potential for associated health risks. This report contains preliminary data from an exploratory, descriptive pilot study examining complicated grief in adult survivors of suicide. Sixty bereaved subjects, within one month after the suicide of a family member or significant other, were assessed for complicated grief symptoms. Statistically significant differences, as measured with the Inventory of Complicated Grief, were noted between closely related and distantly related survivors of the suicide victim. These preliminary results indicate that health care professional's assessments and interventions for complicated grief should take into consideration the bereaved's familial and/or social relationship to the deceased. The closely related survivors of suicide had higher levels of complicated grief and could be at risk of developing physical and/or mental health problems, including suicidal ideation, in the future.