3 Lessons that Gloria Vanderbilt Taught Us About Coping with a Child ’s Suicide

She was perhaps best known by the signature swan logo that imprinted her famous line of jeans. But the fashion icon, artist, writer, and philanthropist, Gloria Vanderbilt, who died Monday at the age of 95, should also be known and remembered by another legacy that she left. After her son Carter Cooper (brother to CNN anchor Anderson Cooper) took his own life, plunging to his death from the 14th floor of Vanderbilt’s New York apartment in 1988, Vanderbilt went on, in the midst of devastating grief, to share what I believe are at least three valuable lessons about how to cope with the loss of a child to suicide. How to Cope with the Loss of a Child to Suicide — 3 Insights for Grieving Parents The following three insights from Vanderbilt about how to cope with the loss of a child to suicide are worth noting and remembering as a source of strength and consolation to the millions of parents in this country who lose children to suicide each year: Lesson #1: Don’t Be Afraid to Open Up About Your Experience. At first glance, this insight may sound basic, but in fact it’s not — precisely because it demands the courage to be vulnerable when you’re dealing with a host of emotions that are telling you to “stuff it” and “keep it a secret.” Guilt, shame, and fears of being overwhelmed with grief can cause parents who have lost children to suicide to do what seems most natural: to repress the devastating experience and the traumatic and painful emotions surroun...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Celebrities Grief and Loss Parenting Suicide Anderson Cooper Bereavement Carter Cooper Gloria Vanderbilt grieving Source Type: blogs