NCJ Number
130868
Date Published
1991
Length
313 pages
Annotation
This book discusses the psychological impact upon a person who accidentally kills another person and suggests ways the accidental killer can work through such a debilitating experience to live a constructive and satisfying life.
Abstract
The person who accidentally kills another typically experiences guilt, anger, depression, family stress, and tension in social interactions. Many accidental killers become preoccupied with death, feel disoriented, or withdraw from responsibilities and activities. Some experience religious fixations, eating compulsions, or psychosomatic ailments. There are often flashbacks and nightmares. These findings are drawn from the authors' interviews with some 200 people who accidentally killed a person. The interviews also yielded insights into the healing process. Some suggestions for helping the accidental killer are to listen over and over again to all the feelings spawned by the incident, let the person determine when to talk, accept all feelings and thoughts without judgment, make caring gestures, and be honest about your own reactions but with compassion toward the accidental killer. Other suggestions are to encourage the person to face his/her fears, help build self-esteem, and encourage the person to seek professional help. Guidelines for particular professional workers are offered along with some self-help treatment techniques. Chapter notes and a subject index