Linda Collins: What suicide really does to families left behind

Linda Collins lost her 17-year-old daughter Victoria to suicide in 2014, on the first day of a new school term before she was to catch her bus. The grief changed everything - not just the unbearable pain, but how people saw her family, how relationships shifted, and how she had to learn to navigate a world that didn't know how to handle their loss.Seven months later, Linda found Victoria's journals revealing something that gave her immense comfort: Victoria had written about how much she loved her parents and didn't blame them. But the journals also showed Victoria's wish that no young person would ever experience the mental pain she had endured. Now Linda honours that wish through her book "Lost Adjustment" and by speaking openly about suicide grief - because she's learned that young people considering suicide often have no idea of the devastation it causes families. We'd love to hear from you. Send us a text or a voicemail by clicking here. If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/