WOOSTER -- People were stunned and shocked as news spread Monday about Robin Williams' death by what appears to be suicide.
The comedic genius and Oscar-winning actor was said to be battling depression. After his death, the family "respectfully ask(ed) for their privacy as they grieve during this very difficult time," according to an Associated Press report.
When someone dies by suicide, it is difficult on the family. There are so many questions suicide survivors want answered, and there are decisions to be made.
NAMI of Wayne and Holmes Counties has established a LOSS Team -- Local Outreach to Survivors of Suicide -- to help people deal with the untimely deaths.
Edwin Shneidman, founding president of the American Association of Suicidology, said survivors of suicide represent "the largest mental health casualties related to suicide."
The LOSS Team members head into the field when they receive word from the coroner's office. In 2013, the LOSS Team served 49 loved ones and family members affected by 12 suicides, said Helen Walkerly, executive director of NAMI of Wayne and Holmes Counties. The team has served 20 persons affected by suicide of a loved one so far in 2014.
When the LOSS Team is called out, people are in crisis, and despite that, it is typically when they are most open to help, said Walkerly, a suicide survivor.
The team is not a mental health team, even though some are mental health professionals. "We don't do therapy," Walkerly said. However, "we try to help prepare them, because they will have to choose a funeral home."
Team members, who usually go out in pairs, will help make calls. They bring bottled water and mints.
"When you are in a crisis and feel traumatized, your throat constricts, dries and tightens," Walkerly said. The water and mints help with that.
Most of the people on the LOSS Team are survivors.
"In our healing, we want to help other people," Walkerly said.
"I think we represent hope; we are survivors," another LOSS Team member said.
Some of the questions people have include: Where do I start? What can I do? Can I live? How will I live? Will I live the rest of my life in grief?
Suicide survivors serve as an example that people can overcome and lead relatively normal lives.
Carrie Nettle lost a sister to suicide. Though she was a paralegal and did a lot of research, she had no idea what to do after her sister's death. But, she did know the family needed to find some way to channel the grief.
Nettle and her mom discovered the PALS Grief Support Group -- People Affected by a Loved one's Suicide. They started attending meetings, and Nettle eventually became a LOSS Team member.
"The main reason was I did not want other families to have to find help by themselves," Nettle said. When she and her family were grieving, "It felt like we were lost."
When Nettle arrives at a scene, the fact she is a survivor is not the first thing out of her mouth, but she lets people know she can relate to what they are going through.
During a recent QPR training session, a program to help prevent suicides (the letters stand for Question, Persuade and Refer), Fredy Robles of Catholic Charities said most people who end their lives "communicate their intent some time during the week preceding their attempt."
Robles reiterated, "Suicide is the most preventable kind of death, and almost any positive action can save a life."
Reporter Bobby Warren can be reached at 330-287-1639 or bwarren@the-daily-record.com. He is @BobbyWarrenTDR on Twitter.