Overview

Don Ryan lost three family members to suicide beginning with his father in 1989, when Ryan was a college senior, his cousin Vinny in 2013, and his youngest brother, Brendan, in 2022. In The Secret Struggle, Ryan pairs his personal experience of loss with the professional insights he's gained across three decades of work in clinical treatment settings and on violence reduction initiatives. The result is a deeply felt guide for those who are left to survive the aftermath of their loved one's suicide. Ryan takes the reader through his own emotional journey of guilt, shame, self-doubt, confusion, anger, sadness, and finally, acceptance, while normalizing the grieving process and challenging societal stigmas toward mental health support and suicide, especially as those stigmas pertain to men, a demographic that comprises 80 percent of all completed suicides. He covers common coping mechanisms used by survivors, as well as niche topics like holidays and anniversaries, identifying PTSD in suicide survivors, and the myriad ways you can honor and remember your loved one beyond their final moments. Most of all, through personal stories and dedicated research, Ryan reminds the reader that healing is not only possible, but probable, and that they are not alone.

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9781643435909

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Reviews

"""Talking openly about suicide remains difficult for so many clinicians and laypeople alike, which is a disservice as we try a reduce rates of suicide. Don Ryan has tackled a very challenging subject in an informative and compassionate way, which is sure to help those who have lost a loved one to suicide, as well as those who work on the frontlines with those who are at risk for suicide."" -Mark Meier, MSW, LICSW, executive director and cofounder of the Face It Foundation ""As an Iraq veteran and as someone who has advocated for enhanced benefits for veterans for two decades, I found that The Secret Struggle not only explains and validates some of the complex issues that many veterans face but also helps combat alienation and marginalization of our nation's heroes."" -N.T. Doyle, director of veterans services for a county government system ""Don Ryan shares deeply personal insight into the complex feelings and experiences of those affected by suicide. This book is a necessary read for all social workers and helping professionals-to support our clients, friends, family, and ourselves."" -Dr. Karen Goodenough, PhD, executive director of the National Association of Social Workers, MN Chapter"

Author Information

Don Ryan has earned a Master of Social Work from the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor, Michigan) as well as a Master of Business Administration and a Bachelor's of Arts in Sociology from Mt. St. Mary's University (Emmitsburg, Maryland). He currently lives in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, where he works on violence reduction and suicide prevention efforts for Hennepin County. He has two teenage sons and loves watching them play soccer. Don offers speaking opportunities as an advocate for a healthy grieving process for survivors of a loved one's suicide and a cultural change in the social stigma of mental health and suicide. For more information about these presentations and about Don's mission to lower the incidence of suicide by breaking down this stigma and allowing more people to accept needed services, please visit www.thesecretstruggle.com.

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