Charlie (23) was supported by Child Bereavement UK after his father died by suicide. Charlie said:

My father died by suicide in July 2017 when I was 20 and in my second year at university. I didn't deal with my bereavement very well; I distracted myself rather than dealing with everything.

Once I started having support at Child Bereavement UK, I became less erratic and had fewer breakdowns. I'd basically bottle it up and pretend everything was OK, which obviously it wasn't. The support from Child Bereavement UK was so helpful as it was tailored towards young people, so I felt I was taken seriously and not patronised.

My advice to other bereaved people is to definitely use the support available. You can put it off, but it will just get worse. Talking about it can feel like a huge, terrifying thing and it might hurt you, but it can't damage you any more than it already has. Life is definitely more positive now.

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