Left behind after a suicide?

One of the hardest things to do comes after you have been left behind after a suicide. I know, because it happened in our family. My husband's nephew, also a Vietnam veteran, committed suicide 18 years ago. 

The questions I carry never end. I am sure it is one of the biggest reasons why I do what I do, especially when the topic is veterans committing suicide.

I understand the pain they carry to a point and what it takes to help them find some hope again, but I also know what it feels like to be grieving and wondering what was missed.

A doctor in South Carolina is going through that too.

Simpsonville doctor hosts fundraiser in memory of brother who died by suicide

Hirshorn is a functional neurologist, which means he studies brain function as it relates to depression, anxiety, anger and insomnia. He uses specifically designed therapies to strengthen certain parts of the brain and nervous system.

If this neurologist did not see it coming, understand how you could have missed the signs too.

It is a harsh reality that hits home for Dr. Elliot Hirshorn, whose younger brother, Zach, killed himself.

Hirshorn never imagined that his brother would kill himself that night.

Zach served in the military for 10 years and went overseas to Iraq, where he suffered physical and emotional damage. Hirshorn said his brother was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and prescribed medication.

If they do not know how to talk to those they served with, do not know how to talk to their family and friends, do not know how to ask for help, then it shows how much they do not understand about themselves.

If they find the stigma of asking for help harder to do than survive what caused PTSD in the first place, then they do not understand themselves.

If their own lives do not matter as much as those they risked it for during their service, then they do not understand the basis for the jobs they were willing to do.

If you take away nothing else from this report, take some comfort in knowing if this Doctor did not see it coming, then there is no way you should blame yourself.