When our sibling has died by suicide

UK Helpline: 0 345 123 23 0 4 | tcf.org.uk At the centre of this turmoil is our sibling. We miss them. Perhaps we feel abandoned or angry. Perhaps we struggle with how they died and have terrible mental images. We may want to remember better times but struggle to do so. We may also have additional concerns about how our parents are going to cope. Our siblings A sibling relationship is unique. Our sibling has been around us for much or even all of our life, and so the shared bond is strong. We shared in-jokes, secrets, arguments, childhood successes and challenges. As we grow and develop, some sibling relationships maintain a closeness while others drift apart due to differences in life choices and personalities. In either case, and in any family, the loss of a sibling leaves a very specific hole in the dynamic. We may have lost a role model, or a younger sibling who looked up to us with reassurance. If our sibling had a birthday at a similar time of year or was our twin, we might feel that our future birthdays will no longer be a time of family celebration and joy as they will be overshadowed by the grief. This may be particularly poignant if our sibling was older and we reach the age they were when they died. We may also feel the loss of our own identity with our sibling. Our life has changed forever.