by Edward J. Dunne

About the author: Edward J. Dunne is a division director at the American Association of Suicidology and a coauthor of Suicide and Its Aftermath.

Irecently interviewed a young woman whose father and brother had both completed suicide over 30 years ago. The woman was convinced that her father's suicide had been an act of spite directed towards his wife and children, particularly towards her older brother. Her father killed himself on Christmas day as family members were gathering in the home for dinner. He was in a special room he had fixed up in the garage ostensibly to be able to sleep during the day, but his daughter suspected that it was a way of keeping distance from his family. His relationship with her older brother had always been full of anger and invective. His...