Research Catalog

Title

Why people die by suicide / Thomas Joiner.

Author

Joiner, Thomas, Jr.

Publication

Cambridge, Mass. : Harvard University Press, 2005.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Holdings

Details

Description

276 p. : ill.; 22 cm.

Summary

"In the wake of a suicide, the most troubling questions are invariably the most difficult to answer: How could we have known? What could we have done? And always, unremittingly: Why? Written by a clinical psychologist whose own life has been touched by suicide, this book offers the clearest account ever given of why some people choose to die." "Drawing on extensive clinical and epidemiological evidence, as well as personal experience, Thomas Joiner brings a comprehensive understanding to seemingly incomprehensible behavior. Among the many people who have considered, attempted, or died by suicide, he finds three factors that mark those most at risk of death: the feeling of being a burden on loved ones; the sense of isolation; and, chillingly, the learned ability to hurt oneself. Joiner tests his theory against diverse facts taken from clinical anecdotes, history, literature, popular culture, anthropology, epidemiology, genetics, and neurobiology - facts about suicide rates among men and women; white and African-American men; anorexics, athletes, prostitutes, and physicians; members of cults, sports fans, and citizens of nations in crisis." "The result is the most coherent and persuasive explanation ever given of why and how people overcome life's strongest instinct, self-preservation. Joiner's is a work that makes sense of the bewildering array of statistics and stories surrounding suicidal behavior; at the same time, it offers insight, guidance, and essential information to clinicians, scientists, and health practitioners, and to anyone whose life has been affected by suicide."--BOOK JACKET.

Subject

• Suicide
• Suicide victims > Psychology
• Suicide victims > Family relationships
• Children of suicide victims
• Suicide > psychology
• Suicide Prevention

Bibliography (note)

• Includes bibliographical references (p. 243-266) and index.

Processing Action (note)

• committed to retain

Contents

Prologue : losing my dad -- What we know and don't know about suicide -- The capability to enact lethal self-injury is acquired -- The desire for death -- What do we mean by suicide? How is it distributed in people? -- What roles do genetics, neurobiology, and mental disorders play in suicidal behavior? -- Risk assessment, crisis intervention, treatment, and prevention -- The future of suicide prevention and research -- Epilogue.

ISBN

0674019016 (cloth : alk. paper)

LCCN

^^2005051347

OCLC

• 61130864
• SCSB-14250695

Owning Institutions

Harvard Library