Murder and Its Effect on Mental Health

If you or someone you know has been affected by the murder of a family member, friend or even an acquaintance, they are probably suffering mental health consequences associated with the traumatic situation. People have varying capacity and strategies for coping with such an event. The act of murder spreads a wide swath of pain radiating out from those closest to the murder victim all the way out to people who have nothing to do with the family, community or situation.

Murder and the Feelings it Creates

There are predictable behaviors that typically accompany the murder of someone you know. People who have gone through this experience describe having feelings of numbness, disbelief and in some cases out and out denial of the reality of the situation. Some people describe an out-of-body sensation that is more than likely due to being in shock. Inability to stop crying, inability to sleep, lack of appetite and seemingly uncontrollable anger are all normal reactions to a sudden traumatic death by murder.

Murder and Support

Coming to grips with the murder of a family member, close friend, coworker etc., requires support from friends and in many situations mental health professionals. One thing you can do, if you are a friend is to be a good, patient listener. One of the recovery strategies for persons affected by murder is the telling their story. Many times, persons who are trying to get their life back after a murder, feel like they can't stop thinking about and talking about the murder. In fact, this is exactly what they need to do to heal-tell their story. This is one of the stages of grieving and is a normal response to the trauma murder has created.

Murder and Post Issues

After a murder, people close to the victim must cope with not only their loss, but many other complicated and overwhelming daily life issues created by the murder. One of the earliest complexities is related to how many agencies the family has to deal with just to put the physical attributes of the murder to rest. They must deal with the police, coroner, hospital, funeral home, cemetery, attorneys, news agencies and close friends of the person murdered. The people left behind, who are grieving and trying to function with all of these new agencies, may need the support of a mental health practitioner. This person can help them navigate all of the unfamiliar aspects of their life while going through an extreme stage of grief.

Murder and Mental Health Issues

It is important to support the members of a family that is going through the grief process following the murder of one of its members. Part of this support is to watch members carefully and look for signs they are losing the ability to cope with the situation and are sinking into an abyss. Some signs this might be happening include: when they stop eating and drinking, talk about not being able to live without the person who was murdered, talk about having no reason to live, use drugs that have not been prescribed, start to develop excessive alcohol consumption and become violent. If you see any of these behaviors, it is time for an immediate assessment by a mental health professional.