Spent the weekend with three members of the CASPER family. Two lost daughters to suicide and one lost her husband. It was an amazing weekend. We laughed together, cried together and bonded in a way that only those who have shared a traumatic experience can. Psychotropic drugs were the common theme with Toran being on two at the time of his death and the other women's loved ones being on between 4 and 10 when they killed themselves violently.

We all had court or tribunal rulings to share. We shook our heads over coroners and commissioners who made decisions that unqualified psychiatrists could experiment with drugs on our loved ones, changing medications and adding new ones as each horrific side effect emerged and yet find that the care was 'reasonable.' We shared our anger that our children and spouses were blamed for failing to function well on enough medication to stop an elephant and that families are always the cause of suicides. We shared the grief we feel at the torture our loved ones endured prior to their deaths as a result of the drugs they were given.

On the positive side, we shared what we had learned about the system and provided each other with advice on how best to challenge it. We felt huge energy and motivation from the fact that rather than fighting individual battles for change and accountability, we are now part of an army of bereaved families who are fighting together, determined to achieve change in the names of those we have lost and for those whose lives are at risk from suicide.

We did lots of work putting together a strategic plan for CASPER and developing resources to support families. As we shared the intimate details of the last hours of our loved ones lives and the trauma of their deaths, we also shared a committment to do whatever it takes to prevent other families sharing this experience.

Maria