When people are talking about suicide cleanup then it is very rare to hear them talking about the physical and mechanical side of the job. However, an equally important, but less considered factor is how the people that are involved in the process of cleaning up the environment after such disasters are affected emotionally.
Cleaning up after a suicide is a very traumatic experience that has psychological effects to not only the families of the deceased but also the professionals who are involved in cleaning up the scene. Suicides are common situations for which professional cleanup crews are employed to deal with the scene. These people have to deal with hazardous products and make sure that the area is well cleaned and sanitized.
However, due to the nature of the job, they are always exposed to sad and, at times, horrific scenes. All the same, the emotional impact that they come across while working may be overwhelming. And it’s much more than simply erasing the material symbols; it is the vivid awareness of a life cut short in suffering.
Coping Strategies of Cleanup Personal
Due to the nature of work these professionals have to engage in, there are strategies they have to embrace in order to counter the stressful efforts. Some professional suicide cleanup teams have members who may wish to turn to their co-workers since the latter are aware of the specifics of the work. Some might seek professional help in order to deal with feelings and keep a healthy state of mind by attending counseling or therapy sessions.
One should set some sort of barriers in order not to get burned out which include working and personal life barriers. However, due to the social misconceptions associated with mental health, some of the people do not get the required support hence they stay longer with their condition hence emotional suffering.
These families remain in a state beyond mourning because they are now caring for their loved ones’ bodies after suicides. In most cases they have to organize for the cleaning, which could be a rather intruding and traumatizing process. While seeing the particular scene, one feels the thoughts about what has happened, and this can cause prolonged suffering in the person.
This can be especially terrible if the family feels that they are on their own, with no holds bar. I do not think it is about mourning the death of a loved one, but rather about facing the fact of how that person died.
The Undisclosed Lives of Cleanup Workers
This is a burden that cleanup workers who are involved in cleaning up the scene of suicides have, and yet nobody seems to care. These people are the hidden champions, who, in the worst of circumstances, offer a service that lets families start the process of moving on. Nonetheless, such workers are often emotionally distressed.
They do not only see scenes of suffering but also the weight of grief and hopelessness that surrounds them in their work of cleaning. It’s likely to cause one to become stressed, emotionally drained, anxious and even depressed after being exposed to such images time and again.
According to this forum discussion, the main issue that these workers complain about is the fact that their profession is considered to be disgraceful. Their work is important but at the same time it is viewed as something that people don’t like to consider.
This stigma can make it nearly impossible for cleanup workers to discuss what they’ve gone through or seek help. This silence can then make the person feel even more lonely and stressed due to a lack of empathy from fellow people who are not in the line of work and may not understand the pressure that comes with the job.
Furthermore, the process of washing a scene does not necessarily mean washing away the feelings connected with the particular scene. A worker can be scared by the images or worried with the awareness of the suffering before the work is done. In some cases, such feelings remain long after the job is completed and interfere with the individual’s everyday life and his/her interactions with others.
Hence, it is important to acknowledge and respond to these invisible hardships. Employers and industry organizations must ensure that the mental health of employees is well taken care of, so that they can get counseling, peer support groups (as seen here: https://www.osha.gov/sites/default/files/publications/OSHA3885.pdf), among other services that will enable them to deal with their experiences in a healthy manner.
Suicide cleanup is a topic that can evoke deep-seated emotional feelings and they should be explored more. Although the more specific functional requirements of the project are key, not least the mental health of all those involved is also of equal import. Mitigating this less-visible cost can result in more positive results for both cleanup specialists and families, to make the healing process just a little easier.
