In Israel, organization supports families after suicides — Jerusalem Post
In Israel, the public organization Bishvil Ha-Haim (“Path to Life”) supports families who have lost loved ones to suicide and runs prevention programs. Its co-founder, Ofra Hermesh, said she established the organization with her psychiatrist husband after the suicide of their 19-year-old son Assaf 31 years ago, The Jerusalem Post reports.
According to Hermesh, after losing her son, her family received emotional support from the Israel Defense Forces because he was a serviceman. She noted that families of people who were not military personnel did not have similar organizational support at the time. Hermesh also spoke about the stigma families face after such losses, as people often do not know how to speak with them.
Support for families
The organization was officially founded in 2000, although its initiators had been working to establish such a structure for several years before that. Bishvil Ha-Haim provides group and individual therapy for families, as well as for siblings of those who died.
Hermesh said that research indicates an eightfold higher risk of suicide among loved ones of a person who died by suicide. The organization’s support centers operate in central and southern Israel. In the north of the country and in the Jerusalem area, assistance is provided by the Elah center. Support is provided to first-degree relatives if the loss occurred within the past five years.
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Early identification of a crisis state
Clinical psychologist and organization board member Maya Yogan-Barak said prevention begins with the ability to ask for help, express emotions, and notice changes in the behavior of others. Among possible signals, she named withdrawal, stopping communication with others, and increased irritability.
According to her, a person about whom there are concerns should be directly asked about thoughts of suicide, without judging or mocking them. She advised maintaining contact and seeking help from a doctor, health fund, educational institution, or through the workplace.
Yogan-Barak reported that Israel records between 500 and 550 deaths by suicide annually, as well as more than 10,000 attempts. Michal Arcosin, CEO of Bishvil Ha-Haim, stressed that suicide prevention is the responsibility not only of the healthcare system, but also of families, schools, work teams, and communities.
