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3 Intuition, Imagination and Innovation in Suicidology Conference Understanding Grief and Effective Support,
with Special Reference to Suicide Bereavement
Invited lecture · Karl Andriessen
Karl Andriessen, PhD, MSuicidology, BSW, is a Senior Research Fellow at the Cen-
tre for Mental Health in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health,
The University of Melbourne, Australia, an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the School
of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, and a Research Fellow at the KU Le-
uven, University of Leuven, Belgium. Karl’s involvement in the field of suicide be-
reavement and suicide prevention is rooted in clinical practice, starting 35 years
ago in Belgium as a social worker in youth and family counselling, and telepho-
ne crisis lines, followed by leading positions in suicide prevention, bereavement,
community mental health, and policy development. He co-founded and serves
as Chair (2002–2015, 2022–present) of the Special Interest Group on Suicide Bere-
avement of the International Association of Suicide Prevention, and is an advi-
sor to several projects in the field of suicide prevention and bereavement. He also
serves as Associate Editor of Death Studies. In recognition of his achievements,
he has received several awards, including the 2005 IASP Farberow Postvention
Award. He has published widely, including Postvention in Action: The Interna-
tional Handbook of Suicide Bereavement Support (with Dr Krysinska and Dr
Grad), the go-to resource on postvention (Hogrefe, 2017).
Abstract. Grief is a natural reaction to a major loss. Common grief reactions
include crying and feelings of sadness, anger or guilt. Most people cope well
with their grief. However, others may struggle with their loss, and may be
at-risk of developing maladaptive grief reactions or mental health problems.
Those bereaved by suicide or other traumatic death may also be at risk of
adverse long-term outcomes. In addition to grief feelings such as feelings
of shock, anxiety or rejection, they commonly struggle with daunting ‘why’
questions, and receive less social support than other bereaved people. Peo-
ple bereaved by suicide also present increased risks of depression, posttra-
umatic stress disorder, and suicidal behaviour compared to other bereaved
and non-bereaved counterparts. While most research in the field has focused
on adverse outcomes, there is a growing body of evidence that many be-
reaved people also report posttraumatic growth – a positive psychological
transformation that occurs through a process of meaning-making and stru-
ggling with a highly challenging and stressful event. Informed by the litera-
8 https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-251-0.1
with Special Reference to Suicide Bereavement
Invited lecture · Karl Andriessen
Karl Andriessen, PhD, MSuicidology, BSW, is a Senior Research Fellow at the Cen-
tre for Mental Health in the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health,
The University of Melbourne, Australia, an Adjunct Senior Lecturer at the School
of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, and a Research Fellow at the KU Le-
uven, University of Leuven, Belgium. Karl’s involvement in the field of suicide be-
reavement and suicide prevention is rooted in clinical practice, starting 35 years
ago in Belgium as a social worker in youth and family counselling, and telepho-
ne crisis lines, followed by leading positions in suicide prevention, bereavement,
community mental health, and policy development. He co-founded and serves
as Chair (2002–2015, 2022–present) of the Special Interest Group on Suicide Bere-
avement of the International Association of Suicide Prevention, and is an advi-
sor to several projects in the field of suicide prevention and bereavement. He also
serves as Associate Editor of Death Studies. In recognition of his achievements,
he has received several awards, including the 2005 IASP Farberow Postvention
Award. He has published widely, including Postvention in Action: The Interna-
tional Handbook of Suicide Bereavement Support (with Dr Krysinska and Dr
Grad), the go-to resource on postvention (Hogrefe, 2017).
Abstract. Grief is a natural reaction to a major loss. Common grief reactions
include crying and feelings of sadness, anger or guilt. Most people cope well
with their grief. However, others may struggle with their loss, and may be
at-risk of developing maladaptive grief reactions or mental health problems.
Those bereaved by suicide or other traumatic death may also be at risk of
adverse long-term outcomes. In addition to grief feelings such as feelings
of shock, anxiety or rejection, they commonly struggle with daunting ‘why’
questions, and receive less social support than other bereaved people. Peo-
ple bereaved by suicide also present increased risks of depression, posttra-
umatic stress disorder, and suicidal behaviour compared to other bereaved
and non-bereaved counterparts. While most research in the field has focused
on adverse outcomes, there is a growing body of evidence that many be-
reaved people also report posttraumatic growth – a positive psychological
transformation that occurs through a process of meaning-making and stru-
ggling with a highly challenging and stressful event. Informed by the litera-
8 https://doi.org/10.26493/978-961-293-251-0.1
