Each year in the UK, more than 6000 people take their own life – each suicide has a devastating and lasting impact on their families, friends and communities.

 

Faced with a sudden, often unexpected and sometimes violent death, the bereaved experience a complex grief which typically includes strong feelings of guilt, self-reproach and questioning – “why?”.   Discomfort, shame and stigma associated with suicide can make it difficult to talk about.  There may be further complexities not common to normal bereavements e.g. inquests, media coverage, trauma reactions and difficult family relationships.

 

Those bereaved by suicide often feel isolated at a time when they are hurting, suffering mental anguish and are vulnerable themselves to thoughts of suicide.  Even those fortunate enough to have strong support networks can still feel alone, unable to share their true feelings for fear of their impact on others, particularly when they are also in a caring role for others who are bereaved.

 

There are hundreds of thousands of people in the UK who have been deeply affected by suicide.   The emotional, quality of life and financial impacts are long lasting and wide reaching.  It is a major public health issue.

 

We exist to meet the needs and break the isolation experienced by those bereaved by suicide.   We are a self-help organisation and we aim to provide a safe, confidential environment in which bereaved people can share their experiences and feelings, so giving and gaining support from each other.  We also strive to improve public awareness and maintain contacts with many other statutory and voluntary organisations.

 

We provide an email support service for people who prefer to share their experiences and feelings through writing rather than talking.

 

You can send your email to email.support@uksobs.org your mail will be read and responded to by one of our volunteers, who has been bereaved by suicide themselves.  They can offer support, answer questions and provide details of other support you may wish to explore.

 

Please be aware that you may not receive a response immediately however emails are checked daily.

We encourage self help, we do not provide counselling – if you are interested in counselling, you could talk with your GP or have a look at other organisations.

 

To find out more about SOBS visit www.uksobs.org