Surviving a Suicide Loss  |  Resource and Healing Guide
5
•	 Isolation
•	 Depression and sadness
•	 Suicidal feelings
•	 Yearning for the person
Why Did This Happen?
The majority of people who die by suicide 
have a diagnosable mental health condition 
at the time of their death.
Suicide is a complex health issue. Many individuals who die by 
suicide experienced symptoms of a mental health condition at the 
time of their death. The condition may not have been diagnosed, 
or may have been diagnosed and received treatment. However, 
treatment for mental health conditions often requires ongoing 
adjustments over time, and reaching full remission or recovery 
can be challenging even with good treatment. Access to treatment 
can also be challenging to no fault of the individual. Additionally, 
there are other risk factors that contribute to suicide. Therefore, 
even with solid psychiatric and therapeutic treatment for mental 
health conditions, individuals may still die by suicide.
It is also possible that you may not have seen any signs that your 
loved one was struggling with a mental health condition, or signs 
of suffering may not have been overt. Some people considering 
suicide do not share those thoughts with others, and many hide 
their distress. Even when there are signs, that doesn’t mean that 
all suicides can be prevented. It is not uncommon for suicide loss 
survivors to wonder if there were signs that were missed, or if 
anything could have changed this as an outcome.
Many suicide loss survivors struggle to understand the reasons for 
the suicide, asking themselves “why?” repeatedly. Many replay 

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