The purpose of tragedy response generally is to assist schools in regaining stability in the wake of a crisis by supporting students and staff experiencing loss, grief or trauma. Grieving together is part of belonging to a community. In the case of suicide postvention, providing support after a suicide is also part of prevention for future suicide behavior. In any response, this work helps move school communities from a place of grief and tragedy to one of hope and resiliency.
The Suicide Prevention Resource Center describes postvention goals in the case of suicide as, supporting the grieving process, preventing contagion, reestablishing a healthy school climate, providing long-term surveillance and integrating and strengthening protective factors (community, positive coping skills, resiliency). This includes using best practices for communication about a suicide, not using the word “commit,” instead use “died by suicide” or suicided, and providing crisis line and warning signs information.
Schools should also treat all student deaths in the same way. For example, having one approach for a student who dies of cancer and another for a student who dies by suicide reinforces the negative association that often surrounds suicide and may be deeply painful to the deceased student’s family and close friends. Schools should also not romanticise or glorify suicide deaths. Memorials following a suicide should also not glamorize, romanticize, or stigmatize the act of suicide. Memorial activities can be an important opportunity for students and staff to grieve and for the community to bring closure to the formal period of grief. We can support participation by excusing abscess for attendance at a community memorial. Memorial activities at school should support healthy bereavement such as: pictures, notes, flowers, can be displayed until a service or for a set period of time and then given to the family. Supporting a cause, hosting educational opportunities, such as about mental health or some other active community event, are also best practice options.
Students are vulnerable to the risk of suicide contagion. Contagion is the process by which one suicide death may contribute to another. Although contagion is relatively rare (accounting for between 1 and 5 percent of all youth suicide deaths annually), adolescents and teenagers appear to be more susceptible to imitative suicide than adults, largely because they may identify more readily with the behavior and qualities of their peers. It is also important to recognize the impact of highly publicized suicide deaths, such as those of celebrities, which may contribute to contagion. Adolescents are also resilient. With the proper information, guidance, and support from school staff, students can learn to cope with the suicide of a fellow student, process their grief, and return to healthy functioning.
