{"id":11050,"date":"2019-09-15T04:00:28","date_gmt":"2019-09-15T08:00:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/?p=11050"},"modified":"2019-09-15T16:17:25","modified_gmt":"2019-09-15T20:17:25","slug":"aftermath-suicide-response","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/doinglifetogether\/2019\/09\/aftermath-suicide-response.html","title":{"rendered":"The Aftermath of Suicide: Our Response"},"content":{"rendered":"

Like many of you, I \u00a0heard the very sad news that Pastor, Jarrid Wilson died by suicide last Monday. He\u00a0left us shortly after he preached a funeral for a woman who also ended her life by\u00a0suicide. It is all so hard to comprehend when you look at the photos of this 30-year-old man with a beautiful wife and two small children. Why would someone who championed mental health, depression and suicide meet such an end to his life? It’s heartbreaking and we need to pray for his family, friends and the church who are all dealing with the aftermath of suicide.<\/p>\n

His death reminds us that pastors and leaders are not immune to the struggles of mental health. And that the church should do a better job of talking about mental illness and removing the stigma. We say\u00a0this after a suciide, but does anything really change?<\/p>\n

And what about those left behind who have to navigate the loss and their uncertain futures? What is the church’s response to those who remain? Children and parents are confused and struggle to answer, “Why?” knowing they may never really know this answer. And what about the church members who attended a funeral and are confused? How are they reacting and what impact does this have on their faith?<\/p>\n

To answer these and other questions, we need a better understanding of suicide and mental health. We also need conversations informed by solid doctrine to help people navigate their faith. Suicide is complex and needs more\u00a0than simply answers of have more faith and read your Bible more often. While there is power in the Gospel, most of us need help applying faith to complex\u00a0situations, especially in the area of mental health. Myths and stigma need to be removed.<\/p>\n

One of the important factors to know is that when someone dies by suicide, those left behind face an increase risk of suicide themselves. The Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention<\/a> released a report in 2015 with these facts:<\/p>\n