‍Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One

In The Secret Struggle, Don Ryan pairs his personal experience of losing three family members to suicide with the professional insights he’s gained from three decades of work in clinical treatment settings and on violence reduction initiatives. The result is a deeply felt guide for those left to survive the aftermath of their loved one’s suicide.                                            

Don shares his own emotional journey of guilt, shame, self-doubt, confusion, anger, sadness, and finally, acceptance, while normalizing the grieving process and challenging societal stigmas toward mental health and suicide. In this intentionally concise work, Don covers common coping mechanisms, holidays and anniversaries, PTSD in suicide survivors, and the myriad of ways to honor and remember the loved one. Most of all, Don reminds the reader that healing is possible and that they are not alone.