About the Book
This volume presents an authoritative overview of current scientific knowledge about suicide and suicide prevention. Multidisciplinary and comprehensive in scope, the book provides a solid foundation in theory, research, and clinical applications. Issues relevant to clinical case management are highlighted, and various treatment modalities are discussed in light of the latest research findings. Topics covered include the classification and prevalence of suicidal behaviors; social, cultural, and gender contexts of suicide; psychiatric and medical factors; and ethical and legal issues in intervention. Written by three international suicide authorities, the book also includes contributions from other leading scientist-practitioners who report on their respective areas of expertise. Throughout, user-friendly tables, case illustrations, concise summaries of key issues, and annotated references enhance the volume's utility for clinicians, students, and researchers.
Table of Contents:
Foreword, Goldney
I. Foundations of Suicidology
1. Introduction to the Study of Suicide
2. The Theoretical Component in Suicidology
3. The Empirical Foundations of Suicidology
4. A Historical Perspective on Suicide, Anton J. L. van Hooff
II. Sociodemographic and Epidemiologic Issues
5. Age and the Lifespan (with Paul A. Nisbet)
6. Suicide, Gender, and Sexuality
7. Racial, Ethnic, and Cultural Aspects of Suicide
8. Work and the Economy, Steven Stack
9. Marriage, Family, Family Therapy, and Suicide, Bruce Bongar, Laura Goldberg, Karin Cleary, and Kaprice Brown
10. The Social Relations of Suicides
11. Suicide Notes and Communications
12. Suicide Attempts and Methods
III. Medical and Psychiatric Issues
13. Psychiatric Diagnoses and Suicidal Acts, Bryan L. Tanney
14. Physical Illness and Suicide (with Mark J. Goldblatt)
15. Alcoholism, Substance Abuse, and Suicide, David Lester
16. The Biology of Suicide
17. Aggression, Violence, and Suicide, Robert Plutchik
IV. Indirect Self-Destruction, Ethics, Philosophy, and the Law
18. Indirect Self-Destructive Behavior (with Norman L. Farberow)
19. Ethical, Religious, and Philosophical Issues in Suicide
20. Suicide and the Law
V. Treatment and Prevention
21. Treatment and Prevention of Suicide
22. In the Wake of Suicide: Survivorship and Postvention, David A. Jobes, Jason B. Luoma, Lisa Anne T. Hustead, and Rachel E. Mann
About the Author :
Ronald W. Maris, PhD, is Director of the Center for the Study of Suicide and Professor of Psychiatry at the University of South Carolina. He is Editor Emeritus of the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior and has authored or edited 18 books on suicide.
Alan L. Berman, PhD, is Executive Director of the American Association of Suicidology and maintains a private practice in psychotherapy and psychological and forensic consultation at the Washington Psychological Center, P.C., in Washington, DC. He is the author or editor of seven books and more than 80 book chapters and articles, and serves as consulting editor for three professional journals.
Morton M. Silverman, MD, a psychiatrist trained at the University of Chicago, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the Pritzker School of Medicine and the current Director of its Student Counseling and Resource Service. Editor-in-Chief of the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, he has published a number of books and articles on suicide prevention and treatment.
Review :
"This is truly an encyclopedic textbook in its scope, comprehensiveness, and feeling of intellectual excitement. It is my essential book." --Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, Professor of Thanatology Emeritus, UCLA, Founder, American Association of Suicidology
"Maris, Berman, and Silverman are to be congratulated on this important new initiative. Although there have been many books published in the field of suicidology, a comprehensive textbook has been lacking. All readers who want to have a wealth of knowledge about suicide and suicidal behaviors will greatly value having this book on their shelves. Its richness, breadth, and internal consistency make it an excellent resource for clinicians and academicians." --J. John Mann, MD, Professor of Psychiatry, Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons; Chief, Department of Neuroscience, New York State Psychiatric Institute
"A longstanding gap on your bookshelf can now be filled. This volume has been blue-pencilled by Maris, Berman, and Silverman into a disciplined series of integrated chapters, encyclopedic in scope and practical in approach. Every chapter ends with a clear, distilled summary and is enriched with suggestions for the best further reading. Mental health workers will be glad to have this book, as will instructors at the undergraduate and graduate levels and psychiatry training directors. If you want just one book on suicide, buy this one." --John T. Maltsberger, MD
