TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Suicide Survivors Group Forms

ADVERTISEMENT

By LIZ BLEAU

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 31, 2008

APOLLO BEACH - Marsha Hill's sister, Lisa, struggled with depression for most of her life. Her struggles ended last year when she took her life.

Now her sister struggles with her grief and has helped form a group to help those with loved ones who have committed suicide.

The group, Suicide Survivors Group, affiliated with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. the second Monday monthly at Calvary Evangelical Lutheran Church, 5309 N. U.S. 41.

Hill said she helped start the group because she had been traveling from her Riverview home to a similar group in Ellenton, more than 50 miles round trip, and decided it would be good for Hillsborough County to have its own group.

"Grief from suicide is quite different from the aftermath of an auto accident or illness," Hill said. "People don't know how to talk to you about it; it is under radar, secretive."

"When people say someone has committed suicide, it sounds as if the person made a choice, but for most it is not. There is no other way," she said.

The lay-led support group does not replace professional help, she said. "It's a way for people who experience the same kind of grief to help one another. I needed help and I needed to help someone else," she said.

"We are not there to counsel, but to help each other get through the tough times," she said.

People who are interested in attending a group meeting are encouraged to call the church at (813) 645-1305 and leave a message, Hill said. Someone from the support group will call them so when they come to their first meeting, they will already know someone.

Reporter Liz Bleau can be reached at (813) 865-1557 or lbleau@tampatrib.com

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT