How to go back to work after a coworker's suicide
Finding out a colleague died by suicide can trigger intense anxiety, panic attacks, and terrifying fears of a mental health relapse. These overwhelming feelings, combined with self-blame and replaying the events, make it paralyzing to step back into the workplace and figure out what to do next.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to go back to work after a coworker's suicide
- 1Leaving work earlyDid this help you?
- 2Avoiding going back to workDid this help you?
- 3scheduling personal therapyDid this help you?
- 4taking time off using paid time off (PTO)Did this help you?
- 5venting to online peer communitiesDid this help you?
- 6utilizing employee assistance programs (EAP)Did this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“This all happened at around 1pm today. I'm devastating thinking I accelerated his suicide. I know I didn't cause and yes I'm scheduling therapy. But it just keeps replaying in my mind. What did I do wrong. I should have did something different.”source ↗
“I really don’t know how to feel about this.”source ↗
“I myself have struggled with mental health so it made me have an anxiety attack and I’m scared that I’m gonna go back into a place I don’t wanna be again.”source ↗
“I have been avoiding going back to work. I don’t know what to do.”source ↗