Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza and when a loved one dies unexpectedly

Jeff Baena, the director and screenwriter who was married to Aubrey Plaza, died by suicide last week at age 47 – leaving the public stunned and his friends and loved ones grief-stricken.

Plaza and Baena's family are asking for privacy as they navigate the aftermath. "This is an unimaginable tragedy," reads a statement to USA TODAY on behalf of Plaza and the Baena family. "We are deeply grateful to everyone who has offered support. Please respect our privacy during this time." And tributes for Baena and condolences for Plaza have been pouring in over the past few days. On Sunday, "The Brutalist" director Brady Corbet mentioned Plaza and Baena while accepting the award for best-director at the Golden Globes.

When someone dies unexpectedly, their loved ones' world shifts. Without warning. Without time to process. What's left is substantial trauma.

"When people experience sudden loss, they may feel shocked, disbelief, confused, and even in denial," licensed psychologist Shavonne Moore-Lobban previously told USA TODAY. "The suddenness of the loss may be too much to process and feel too unreal for a person to immediately grasp."

And suicide loss survivors specifically – the close family and friends left behind after a suicide – number six to 32 for each death, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Every year, more than a million people unwillingly become part of this group, forced to cope with immeasurable loss while fumbling for clarity. Suicide is complex, and experts underscore there is no single cause, but this is little comfort to the grieved.

More details: Aubrey Plaza asks for 'privacy' after death of husband Jeff Baena

The bereaved can heal, but pain is underestimated

Suicide can affect a wider community of individuals, including members of a person's church or school. One study estimates roughly 425 people are exposed to each suicide in this way.

The bereaved can heal, suicide prevention experts said, but their pain is often underestimated. The stigma around suicide creates an additional burden. Loss survivors commonly experience a range of emotions as they grieve, including shock, fear, shame and anger. As they work to cope with these feelings, many simultaneously deal with the pressure to keep their loved one's suicide a secret or with the mistaken belief that they did something to cause their loved one's death.

Thomas Joiner, who lost his father to suicide and went on to become a leading suicide researcher, wrote in his book "Why People Die by Suicide" that some people's inability to intellectually make sense of suicide kept them from showing sympathy after his dad's death.

"To some people ... understanding didn't matter and wasn't a barrier to acting with real generosity of spirit," he wrote. "To others, the lack of understanding seemed an insurmountable barrier, so that instincts toward compassion were short-circuited."

Awful: His teen tried a suicide chemical he got online and then sought help, but it was too late

'Hard to prepare for anything that is life-altering'

Grief is different for everyone, experts say, and the trauma of an unexpected death only compounds that grief.

"Sudden loss can be more shocking and people can feel less 'prepared' than they might with expected loss," Moore-Lobban adds. "However, it is still hard to prepare for anything that is life-altering, whether a person knew it was coming."

The American Psychological Association said that after a suicide, it's important for survivors to:

• Accept your emotions.

• Not worry about what you “should” feel or do. There’s no standard timeline for grieving and no single right way to cope.

• Care for yourself. Do your best to get enough sleep and eat regular, healthy meals. Taking care of your physical self can improve your mood and give you the strength to cope.

• Draw on support systems.

• Talk to someone. There is often stigma around suicide, and many loss survivors suffer in silence. Speaking about your feelings can help.

• Join a group.

• Talk to a professional.

And according to the American Association of Suicidology and the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, people can help loss survivors by:

• Listening without judgment

• Using the lost loved one’s name to show that person is not forgotten

• Accepting the loss survivor's feelings, which can include shock, shame and abandonment

• Avoiding phrases such as "I know how you feel," unless you, too, are a loss survivor

• Avoiding telling them how they should act or feel

• Being sensitive during holidays and anniversaries

For Plaza and Baena's family, being in the public eye will only heighten curiosities about how they're coping. They should remember there's no right way to grieve – and everyone else should leave them be, as per their request.

Suicide Lifeline: If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. Call or text the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org.

If you'd like to share your thoughts on grief with USA TODAY for possible use in a future story, please take this survey here.

Contributing: Pamela Avila, Brendan Morrow, Edward Segarra and Alia E. Dastagir

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jeff Baena, Aubrey Plaza: When a loved one dies unexpectedly