Common reactions to traumatic grief in children • Intense shock, with recurring images of the death – even if not actually witnessed • Avoidance of objects, places and events connected to the event • Prolonged search for an explanation or reason for the tragedy • Strained family relationships possibly resulting in blame • Feeling rejected or abandoned after suicide • Stressful media attention • Sense of isolation with stigma attached to suicide • Good memories unable to be retained as replaced by intrusive thoughts of the event • Outbursts of extreme unfocused rage • Anxious and preoccupied by the trauma, especially by threats of similar danger • Survivor guilt • May become withdrawn and avoid expressing feelings • Heightened awareness of threat and danger • Sleep problems/nightmares
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