Improving primary care for relatives bereaved by suicide

Relatives of suicide victims may take advantage of family-based
cognitive-behavioural grief therapy (FGT) especially those who have sucide
ideations briefly following the loss of their loved one. If FGT would
avialable, GP may play a key role in the identification of relatives who are
suicide ideators. However, relatives are often not inclined to seek help by
their doctors when they have suicide ideations, and doctors are sometimes
hesistant to seek contact with the bereaved families.
Due to this, relatives may be deprived of effective help, whereas GPs are
expected to play a role in recognizing individuals who are at risk for suicidal
behaviour.

1 to describe the long term effects of FGT and mutual support among
first-degree relatives and spouses of suicide victims.

2 inventarisation of help seeking behaviour of first-degree relatives and
spouses of suicide victims during the first year since bereavement

3 inventarisation of experiences of GPs with relatives (families) who are
bereaved by suicide

5-8 years follow-up of a RCT by a self-report questionnaire among 110
first-degree relatives and spouses (>18 yrs) of suicide victims .

interviews with GPs and coronors who are confronted with patient's suicide

No health risks are expected. Possibly, completion of the questionaire may
remind relatives of a period they might want to leave behind.

80-95% of the relatives recover from bereavement without severe helath
problems. Among those 5-20% who are affected in the lon-term, health problems
will be determined by completion of the questionnaire. This might be benificial
as relatives of suicide victims are not inclined to seek help when they have
psychiatric or psychological problems.