Primary Submission Category: Mental health/function
“I Don’t Want a Mouth, I Want an Ear”: Suicide Survival, Meaning Making, and Narrative Healing
Authors: Katie Billings
Presenting Author: Katie Billings*
Suicide deaths increased 4 percent from 2020 to 2021 according to the National Center for Health Statistics. While numerous researchers have documented sociodemographic trends in suicide risk, the more fundamental question about how people experience and make meaning of suicide experiences remains unanswered. Using semi-structured interviews with 102 suicide survivors—those who have either considered and/or attempted suicide—I ask: How do suicide survivors make sense of their suicide experiences and how can that meaning-making inform suicide prevention strategies? Survivors overwhelmingly note the importance of talking about suicide, especially beyond clinical settings, as key to suicide prevention. Using their explanations, I argue that sharing suicide narratives is a unique opportunity for healing after a suicidal period and/or suicide attempt—especially outside of clinical settings. Narratives not only allow individuals to reflect the self, but also to create one. Thus, suicide narratives present survivors with both an opportunity to make sense of their suicide experience, and also redefine themselves in order to heal.