A central Victorian support group for those bereaved by suicide is reaching out to other people whose loved ones have taken their own lives.
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The Macedon Ranges Support after Suicide group will open its doors on Monday night to people for whom its services could be of benefit.
Margaret Leahy has been involved in setting up the peer support group since her son, Dominic, took his own life in January, 2014.
The landscape gardener had battled with mental illness before his death and had previously attempted suicide.
But when a workplace accident left him requiring a series of surgeries, Dominic became caught in a downward spiral of anxiety and depression.
He was 27 years old when he died.
Ms Leahy said feelings of shame, guilt and anger in the wake of her son’s death were “crippling”, and those without lived experience of suicide were unable to imagine the grief her family endured.
“They're not meant to imagine. It's a grief that is, of its nature, absolutely unimaginable. It's dark and unremitting and relentless,” she said.
“So, it's really important for us to have contact with other people who have suffered a similar loss.”
The establishment of the Macedon Ranges group, the result of work by the Macedon Ranges Suicide Prevention Action Group, means central Victorians with lived experience of suicide have easier access to a support service.
Immediately after Dominic’s death, Ms Leahy and her husband made trips to Melbourne in order to find the sort of support they required.
MRSAS operates under the auspices of Jesuit Social Services Peer Support, the organisation that ran the Melbourne group attended by the Leahy family.
The organisation has been vital in keeping the Leahy family resilient.
“There's times when we hit brick walls, and we have to get through it,” she said.
The Support after Suicide meeting takes place at 7pm Monday at the Newham Mechanics’ Institute. Email macedonrangesspag@gmail.com for more information.
If you or someone you know is experiencing a difficult time, call Lifeline on 13 11 14 or beyondblue on 1300 22 4636.