‘No need’ for extra bereavement services

THERE is no need for the development of specialist supports for families bereaved by suicide outside of general bereavement services, a report prepared for the National Office for Suicide Prevention says.

Consultants commissioned by the office said it was inconclusive whether support for suicide bereavement was different to other kinds of bereavement support and concluded: “A separate, standalone, suicide-specific bereavement support service should not be established at this time.

“A bereavement support service should not necessarily put an emphasis on the type of death but rather concentrate on the bereaved person and the consequences of their loss,” they said.