cremation services offered in Washington Township, MI

Dealing with Suicide

Cremations are one of the cremation services offered in Washington Township, MI. Some of these cremations will be for people who were very much loved by many, but who took their own lives.

Family members and friends have lost a loved one to suicide frequently wrestle with intense guilt, grief, and regret that they could not prevent the death their loved one. They also struggle with feelings of shame over how their loved one died, and this can leave them isolated in coping with their bereavement.

Over 100 Americans commit suicide every day. Suicide is ranked as the 10th most common cause of all the deaths that happen in the United States. Suicide is the third most common cause of death among young people (ages 15-24). For people aged 25-44, suicide is the fourth most common cause of death.

Some people who commit suicide have a long history of fighting with chronic and severe depression or other mental illnesses. Other people who commit suicide finally succeed after numerous previous threats or attempts to commit suicide.

Every suicide is followed too many questions and too few answers for the families and friends of those who have committed suicide.

However, some people who commit suicide do so without a history of deep depressions, mental illnesses, suicide threats, and suicide attempts. Those, perhaps, are the suicides that are most perplexing for their family members and friends.

When loved ones commit suicide with no warning, their family members and friends often have almost identical stories about the previous days, weeks, and months of their time with their loved one. Their loved ones who have committed suicide seemed relaxed, normal, and even optimistic or happy prior to their deaths.

However, it is really not uncommon for people who commit suicide to give any overt signs that they are thinking about committing suicide or they are planning how to commit suicide. It seems almost unfathomable that someone could keep such a life-altering decision hidden underneath a façade of being fine and being upbeat about life.

Although there are no hard and fast answers about how this could be, there are some common characteristics that come into play with all suicides.

One of these characteristics is the stigma that is attached to suicide. If a loved one let anyone know that they were thinking about or planning to kill themselves, they would automatically be seen as crazy or selfish.

Another reason why a loved one would talk about committing suicide is that they realize how painful (although that pain is diminished compared to their own pain) their death will be to those they leave behind. By simply being quiet about what they are thinking and planning, many people who commit suicide believe they are decreasing the amount of pain for their friends and loved ones.

Another reason why people may hide their plans to commit suicide is because they believe they will be stopped if others find out. People who commit suicide are suffering from intense emotional pain, and they may not be able to bear the thought of having to live any longer.

Although every suicide and the reasons behind it is unique, there are some common situations that may increase the risk of suicide.

These can include a significant life loss, a serious life crisis, a loss of social support, a chronic or terminal illness, or the suicides of family members and friends.

cremation services offered in Washington Township, MI

If you’ve lost a loved one to suicide, please consider grief counseling for you and your family. While you may never know all the whys about your loved one’s suicide, grief counseling can help you work through your own feelings about it.

For information about cremation services in Washington Township, MI, our caring and knowledgeable staff at Lee-Ellena Funeral is here to assist you.