“Making sense after a suicide: living with blame, uncertainty, and the need for answers. You are not alone.”
Each year, more than 700,000 people die by suicide worldwide. In the UK, it is around 7,000 – making it the biggest cause of death for people aged 20–34 and for men under 50.
This resource was created to offer some comfort, recognition, and companionship in the aftermath of bereavement by suicide, whether it seems the person intended to take their own life, or their intention was unclear.
The resource consists of a booklet and three short films of people’s stories of their bereavement by suicide. Written by Dr Rachel Gibbons, with contributions from a group of bereaved families, Dr Karen Lascelles, and comments and suggestions from other affected people and those who work with them.
Dr Rachel Gibbons said
“Suicide loss touches far more lives than most of us realise. It i’s estimated that up to 500 million people around the world experience suicide loss each year. That means around two-thirds of us may be affected by it at some point in our lives. And yet, it is often hidden. Because suicide is still so heavily surrounded by silence, blame, shame, and stigma, people don’t talk about it – even to those closest to them. It is so important to break this silence; I am delighted to have worked with Making Families Count to publish this resource and hope it will be of comfort to many.”
Dr Dorit Braun said
“Rachel Gibbons is a leading psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who has written extensively about suicide loss in professional journals; her compassion, insights and expertise deserve to be shared more widely with suicide bereaved families and friends. I have benefitted personally from her insights and am really pleased to be able to make the resources available to the public on our website.”
Notes to editors
Making Families Count is a not-for-profit Community Interest Company. We provide specialist consultancy, training and resources, grounded in lived experience, to help health and social care staff improve collaboration with families – leading to safer, more compassionate care.
We are currently in a change and development phase, involving many more seriously harmed and traumatically bereaved families and recruiting an expanded Board of Directors with renewed vision and energy for the importance of our work. We want to see all health and social care agencies understand how working with family and friends as partners in care is essential for safe and compassionate care.
We hope suicide support and prevention organisations will signpost to these resources, which are free to download from the Making Families Count website.
For more information:
Enquiries or [email protected]
Last Updated on 13 July 2026 by MFCount2