This volume offers a description and analysis of subtle suicide—a psychological condition whose victims don't care if they live or die, and thus act in self-defeating, self-damaging ways. Over their extensive careers, psychotherapists Michael Church and Charles Brooks have developed the concept of "subtle suicide," a development of risky behavior where the subject does not care if he/she lives or dies. Now, in this urgent and informative new work, Church and Brooks present their findings on a condition that is often misdiagnosed as a symptom of addictive or mood disorders, when in fact subtle suicide the real underlying problem. Based on thousands of hours of sessions with real clients and filled with dramatic case studies, Subtle Suicide: Our Silent Epidemic of Ambivalence about Living will help professionals, families, and friends to realize when someone may be suffering from subtle suicide. The authors also provide a number of strategies for helping those exhibiting subtle suicidal behavior, including how to react to specific types of comments and how to avoid being pulled into the sufferer's emotional whirlpool.
For much of his thirties, Jesse Bering thought he was probably going to kill himself. He was a successful psychologist and writer, with books to his name and bylines in major magazines. But none of that mattered. The impulse to take his own life remained. At times it felt all but inescapable. Bering survived. And in addition to relief, the fading of his suicidal thoughts brought curiosity. Where had they come from? Would they return? Is the suicidal impulse found in other animals? Or is our vulnerability to suicide a uniquely human evolutionary development? In Suicidal, Bering answers all these questions and more, taking us through the science and psychology of suicide, revealing its cognitive secrets and the subtle tricks our minds play on us when we’re easy emotional prey. Scientific studies, personal stories, and remarkable cross-species comparisons come together to help readers critically analyze their own doomsday thoughts while gaining broad insight into a problem that, tragically, will most likely touch all of us at some point in our lives. But while the subject is certainly a heavy one, Bering’s touch is light. Having been through this himself, he knows that sometimes the most effective response to our darkest moments is a gentle humor, one that, while not denying the seriousness of suffering, at the same time acknowledges our complicated, flawed, and yet precious existence. Authoritative, accessible, personal, profound—there’s never been a book on suicide like this. It will help you understand yourself and your loved ones, and it will change the way you think about this most vexing of human problems.
This fully updated Fifth Edition explores the full psychiatric nursing curriculum, from theoretical foundations to application of interventions for commonly encountered disorders. The focus is on treatment modalities, nursing care, therapeutic communication, and self-awareness. The built-in study guide helps reinforce student learning and knowledge retention. Abundant features highlight the most pertinent learning concepts.
For much of his thirties, Jesse Bering thought he was probably going to kill himself. He was a successful psychologist and writer, with books to his name and bylines in major magazines. But none of that mattered. The impulse to take his own life remained. At times it felt all but inescapable. Bering survived. And in addition to relief, the fading of his suicidal thoughts brought curiosity. Where had they come from? Would they return? Is the suicidal impulse found in other animals? Or is our vulnerability to suicide a uniquely human evolutionary development? In Suicidal, Bering answers all these questions and more, taking us through the science and psychology of suicide, revealing its cognitive secrets and the subtle tricks our minds play on us when we’re easy emotional prey. Scientific studies, personal stories, and remarkable cross-species comparisons come together to help readers critically analyze their own doomsday thoughts while gaining broad insight into a problem that, tragically, will most likely touch all of us at some point in our lives. But while the subject is certainly a heavy one, Bering’s touch is light. Having been through this himself, he knows that sometimes the most effective response to our darkest moments is a gentle humor, one that, while not denying the seriousness of suffering, at the same time acknowledges our complicated, flawed, and yet precious existence. Authoritative, accessible, personal, profound—there’s never been a book on suicide like this. It will help you understand yourself and your loved ones, and it will change the way you think about this most vexing of human problems.
When should we try to prevent suicide? Should it be facilitated for some people, in some circumstances? For the last forty years, law and policy on suicide have followed two separate and distinct tracks: laws aimed at preventing suicide and, increasingly, laws aimed at facilitating it. In Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws legal scholar Susan Stefan argues that these laws co-exist because they are based on two radically disparate conceptions of the would-be suicide. This is the first book that unifies policies and laws, including constitutional law, criminal law, malpractice law, and civil commitment law, toward people who want to end their lives. Based on the author's expert understanding of mental health and legal systems, analysis of related national and international laws and policy, and surveys and interviews with more than 300 suicide-attempt survivors, doctors, lawyers, and mental health professionals, Rational Suicide, Irrational Laws exposes the counterproductive nature of current policies and laws about suicide. Stefan proposes and defends specific reforms, including increased protection of mental health professionals from liability, increased protection of suicidal people from coercive interventions, reframing medical involvement in assisted suicide, and focusing on approaches to suicidal people that help them rather than assuming suicidality is always a symptom of mental illness. Stefan compares policies and laws in different states in the U.S. and examines the policies and laws of other countries in Europe, Asia, and the Americas, including the 2015 legalization of assisted suicide in Canada. The book includes model statutes, seven in-depth studies of people whose cases presented profound ethical, legal, and policy dilemmas, and over a thousand cases interpreting rights and responsibilities relating to suicide, especially in the area of psychiatric malpractice.
This is a frank, compassionate book written to those who contemplate suicide as a way out of their situations. The author issues an invitation to life, helping people accept the imperfections of their lives, and opening eyes to the possibilities of love.
CHAPTER ONE CRISIS AND TRAUMAS V PRESENT EVERYWHERE What are the Distinguishing Traits of a Crisis? Research has shown that the Chinese word for crisis involves two characters; one means danger, and the other means opportunity. One psychologist summarized the peculiarities in this manner: A crisis is a turning point that usually cannot be avoided. They are filled with danger because they disrupt life and threaten to overwhelm the people who are affected. Furthermore, a crisis also present people with the opportunity to change, grow, and develop better ways of coping. Since people in crisis often feel confused and helpless, they tend to be more opened to receive outside help, including the help that comes from rescue workers, from counselors and from God. CHAPTER TWO THE MULTIFARIOUS ELEMENTS OF LOSS Increasing Number of Loss Individuals seem to cope with losses better when they are occasional. Yet after the age of 50 or 60, they pass into a period of increasing number of losses. Still grieving from the previous loss, it is ever so hard to make sense of the current one. Furthermore, if one had never learnt to deal effectively or contend with occasional losses, then it is inevitable having several will be catastrophic. Equally important is that each type of loss brings its own kind of suffering and reaction. CHAPTER THREE PURPOSE OF CRISIS COUNSELING When a visit is made, if the crisis counselor does not have an objective, the appointment will be unsuccessful. Therefore, the underlining purpose of crisis counseling is to support the hurting, and not to encourage the avoidance of reality. This means the counselor advises individuals in crisis to admit the crisis, express grief normally and arrive at a healthy resolution. CHAPTER FOUR THE CRISIS OF DEATH AND DYING Although human suffering in multiple dimensions is a factor of life which causes great pain and human anguish, it must not be used as a reason for justifying the direct taking of human lifeKGod must always be understood as the Creator and Sustainer of life. It was Norman St John-Stevas who articulated this view skillfully: The value of human life for the Christian in the first century A. D., as today, rested not on its development of superior sentience but on the unique character of the union of a body and soul, both destined for eternal life. The right to life thus has a philosophical foundation K Respect for the lives of others, because of their eternal destiny is the essence of the Christian teaching. CHAPTER FIVE COMFORTING THE SUCIDAL AND VICTIMS FAMILY The following are invaluable principles that are crucial to the helpline counseling methods: The Suicidal X Activity. The person needs to feel that something is being done for him or her right now. This solemn promise or guarantee can alleviate his or her anxiety. X Involvement of others. If the caller realizes that others are now involved and caring for him or her, the person will be more apt to feel the care and concern and will more likely respond. The Family Counselors, friends and family members alike feel guilt, extreme displeasure, and self-blame because the death was not averted. However, ultimately responsibility for suicide rests with the victim who was unable or unwilling to cope with the pressures of life. Ways to support. Promise to visit the mortuary, and advise family members to do the same. If possible, accompany the grief-stricken relatives, knowing that the initial shock and denial could be overwhelming. X Resist the phrase, It was an accident, a terrible accident. Some may think this is helpful, but its more of an expression of ones own anxiety. X Do not pass judgment, But, he or she was up all night drinking. They did not understand what they were doing. It is not helpful or necessary to give reasons for the suicide. X The date on which the suicide took plac
Insightful, provocative, and compassionate, Making Peace with Suicide: A Book of Hope, Understanding, and Comfort takes a good hard look at the world-wide phenomena of suicide. This book is designed for anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide and felt that sucker punch of grief; for anyone who is in pain, walking unsteadily, and considering suicide as an option; and for anyone who works with, guides, or counsels those feeling suicidal and/or suffering the profound grief from a suicidal loss. Making Peace with Suicide includes stories of courage, vulnerability, and steadfastness from both the survivors of suicidal loss as well as the unique perspective of the formerly suicidal. It offers shared wisdom and coping strategies from those who have walked before you. It explores the factors leading to suicide and the reasons why some do and some don't leave suicide notes. Making Peace with Suicide sheds light on the phenomena of suicide vis-a-vis our teens, the military, new mothers, as an end-of-life choice, and asks if addiction is a form of slow suicide. It provides a seven-step healing process and opens the door to consider suicide and the soul, the heart lesson of suicide, and the energies of suicide. If suicidality has impacted your life, Making Peace with Suicide is a must-read. You will be guided through the unknown territory, given insights to allow understanding, stories to help you heal, and ways to make peace with a heart wide-open. Making Peace with Suicide is good medicine for the body, mind, and soul.
Part of the authoritative Oxford Textbooks in Psychiatry series, the new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Suicidology and Suicide Prevention remains a key text in the field of suicidology, fully updated with new chapters devoted to major psychiatric disorders and their relation to suicide.
