Suicide is not just about the tragic death of an individual. Bereavement by suicide has a devastating impact on a family, on a community, on the associated health professionals and on society. An unexpected suicide is not easily understood. When it comes to research many of the effects of suicide are not in the realms of the truly quantifiable.

The link between trauma and suicide is well-established. Trauma is acknowledged as a root not just of suicide, but of mental illness, addiction, poverty and indeed the poverty of spirit that often precedes an attempted or completed suicide. However, suicide is more than just a by-product of mental disorder; it is more accurately conceptualized as a phenomenon in its own right. Our research takes into account the complexity of suicidality as it moves away from linear “cause and effect” thinking and looks at the individual experience of suicide within a given…