But if you then go on to talk about it for the next year, people get mad, like, buck up, get over it. Why? Because it makes them uncomfortable. They don't want to think that THEY might get whacked over the head by some stranger. They want to think they're too smart for that.

pgrundy: After my son's suicide there were lots of people (friends?) who couldn't deal with me anymore. They wanted to know why he did it, maybe because then they could feel safe that their children wouldn't do it too. But there was no answer. So many of then just stopped calling.

I can't change the fact that I am a survivor of a child's suicide; it doesn't ever go away. Just like I can't change the fact that I am a survivor of childhood abuse. But most people don't want to hear about the ongoing pain. So I don't talk about it except in therapy, or here. And I have few friends.

But I do talk about it in therapy and I feel you definitely need to talk about your issues (pain) somewhere too. It will never change the fact that you were vicitimized but it can help you become a stronger survivor.