The aftermath of adolescent suicide: clinical, ethical, and spiritual issues.

The aftermath of an adolescent's suicide can be devastating to family, friends, and treating professionals, yet not much has been written on this subject. In this article, we briefly develop a conceptualization of suicide and a typology of suicide and the physicians' attitudes toward suicide. This is followed with a more detailed review of the aftermath of suicide (focusing on the suicide grievers) and the impact of suicide on clinicians. The work ends with discussion of research data and the role of spirituality as well as an outline of therapeutic interventions.