Drug-related death bereavement: Commentary by a bereaved parent on a research study

An account is given of the experience of a bereaved father, Kelly Thomas, whose daughter Cara died from a drug-related death. Thomas commented on two articles published in OMEGA: Journal of Death and Dying in 2020, linking his own reactions with those described in these scientific sources. His writing and exchange with the researchers were integrated into a commentary in the same journal, reprinted here. Thomas’s words vividly illustrate the points covered in the earlier articles’ qualitative analyses. However, his narrative differs from their research illustrations: He provides reactions of one particular drug-related death (DRD) bereaved father actually reflecting on the categories – scientific constructions as they are – of feelings, behaviours and attitudes that were identified in the analyses. The chapter illustrates how a systematic analysis may “speak” to someone who has personally had to endure the loss of a beloved child to DRD. The chapter reflects the handbook aims to add to knowledge and increase understanding of DRD bereavement on the one hand and to contribute to supporting DRD bereaved persons and those who care for them professionally and personally on the other hand – not least by listening to their voices.