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Sadsista
New Contributor

Coping with loss and guilt

Hi there

I've just lost my brother after more than 25 years of him struggling with schizophrenia.

We are so very sad. And angry. At the system and how it failed him and stopped my parents from helping him as much as they wanted to. And guilty. Thinking back on all the things we could have done differently or better. Second guessing every decision... 😞

Are there any support groups for families who have/are experiencing all the same thoughts and feelings? What has helped people to get through it?

3 REPLIES 3

Re: Coping with loss and guilt

Hi @Sadsista, welcome to the Forums.  I'm so very sorry to hear that you are grieving for your brother. Schizophrenia certainly takes a enormous toll on those living with the condition and on their families.  It's incredibly sad that your brother didn't get the help he needed to keep living with the illness.

It's a very powerful mix of feelings that you describe and the pain must be acute.  I'm glad that you're looking for support in dealing with this.  There are certainly carer organisations in each state which can provide counselling services and other supports.  I would hope that they can also steer you towards support groups.

If you are in NSW the organisation is Carer NSW which you can find here.   There is also Arafmi NSW which provides services for carers particularly around mental health issues.  There is also Compassionate Friends who specialise in bereavement support.

Lastly, you can call the SANE Help Centre during business hours on 1800 18 7263 to get more specialised referral info.

If there are members who are also grieving family members, they may well drop in to share what helped them.  In the meantime, please let us know how you go with these organisations and ask us any other questions that may help.

Re: Coping with loss and guilt

Hi @Sadsista Firstly welcome to the Forums, so glad you found us here 🙂

I'm so sorry to hear about your brother. The grief associated with any death is so hard... But especially when a young person dies from suicide, it can really be a confusing mish-mash of emotions, as you've described. 

Another organisation I could add to the above is Jesuit Social Services - they offer a program called Support After Suicide for berieved family/friends.

We hosted a Topic Tuesday event recently hosted by Compassionate Friends Victoria around Dealing with loss: Myths of Grief. Many carers joined us to share their own personal experiences, struggles and strategies. You might like to have a read through this thread and see if anything resonates with you. 

Keep taking care of yourself. 

Former-Member
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Re: Coping with loss and guilt

😞
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