Suicide Notes: Assessing Their Impact on the Bereaved

Objective: Although suicidologists have devoted great interest toward the importance of suicide notes, scant attention has been paid to their impact upon the suicide bereaved. Method: To address this issue we conducted on an online survey querying 146 mostly American suicide bereaved adults who indicated severe emotional distress after their losses, 80% of whom had lost first degree-relatives. Results: We found no significant differences in mental health outcomes between those who received suicide notes and those who had not; nor were differences noted between those whose notes contained helpful or unhelpful information and those who had not received such information. Conclusion: We also observed poorer mental health outcomes among the suicide bereaved who expected to receive a suicide note after their loved one died—and did not receive any communication– indicating needs for clinical support among this vulnerable subgroup.