Suicidal Mind (Revised)

by Edwin S. Shneidman

Book Overview

Suicide haunts our literature and our culture, claiming the lives of ordinary people and celebrities alike. It is now the third leading cause of death for fifteen- to twenty-four-year-olds in the United States, raising alarms across the nation about the rising tide of hopelessness seen in our young people. It is a taboo subtext to our successes and our happiness, a dark issue that is often euphemized, avoided, and little understood. In our century, psychology and psychiatry alike have attempted to understand, prevent, and medicalize these phenomena. But they have failed, argues Dr. Edwin Shneidman, because they have lost sight of the plain language, the ordinary everyday words, the pain and frustrated psychological needs of the suicidal individual.
In The Suicidal Mind, Dr. Shneidman has written a groundbreaking work for every person who has ever thought about suicide or knows anybody who has contemplated it. The book brims with insight into the suicidal impulse and with helpful suggestions on how to counteract it. Shneidman presents a bold and simple premise: the main cause of suicide is psychological pain or "psychache." Thus the key to preventing suicide is not so much the study of the structure of the brain, or the study of social statistics, or the study of mental diseases, as it is the direct study of human emotions. To treat a suicidal individual, we need to identify, address, and reduce the individual's psychache. Shneidman shares with the reader his knowledge, both as a clinician and researcher, of the psychological drama that plays itself out in the suicidal mind through the exploration of three moving case studies. We meet Ariel, who set herself on fire; Beatrice, who cut herself with the intent to die; and Castro, a young man who meant to shoot his brains out but survived, horribly disfigured. These cases are presented in the person's own words to reveal the details of the suicidal drama, to show that the purpose of suicide is to seek a solution, to illustrate the pain at the core of suicide, and to isolate the common stressor in suicide: frustrated psychological needs. Throughout, Shneidman offers practical, explicit maneuvers to assist in treating a suicidal individual--steps that can be taken by concerned friends or family and professionals alike.
Suicide is an exclusively human response to extreme psychological pain, a lonely and desperate solution for the sufferer who can no longer see any alternatives. In this landmark and elegantly written book, Shneidman provides the language, not only for understanding the suicidal mind, but for understanding ourselves. Anyone who has ever considered suicide, or knows someone who has, will find here a wealth of insights to help understand and to prevent suicide.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0195118014
• ISBN13: 9780195118018
• Release Date: April 1998
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 5.4" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

Accurate, Scientific, Not Immediate Cure for Suicidal People

From my point of view, this book draws a very good picture about the suicidal mind. It mentioned why and how people become suicidal and how early intervention can help healing this mind. I like the way the author presents the topic suicide. He presented it in an academic and scientific way, which is a great way for others to understand suicidal thinking. It has valuable case studies and scientific research for others to understand the topic of suicide. It is for professionals, friends, family and significant others who are associated with the suicidal individuals to read, for the sake of understanding their judgmental mind and their "incurable" psychological pain. This book creates a bridge for others to understand what is on suicidal individuals' head and why these individuals are reluctant in seeking help (the emperor in their head that now becomes the dictator, which eliminates the option for the depressed/anxious individuals to choose how to live life). It is NOT a book for suicidal individuals to read immediately to alleviate their psychological pain (because I bet this pain has been accumulated over years and this book is too scientific to cure the pain), though, it can be a wonderful resource for the person who is walking through a steady recovery path out of depression/suicidal thinking. It is a book for suicidal individuals to read when they have the courage to accept the past form of lethal destructive thinking. But certainly, it is NOT an immediate remedy for the cure. Books that introduce opening your heart to listen without judgment and books about love, compassion and forgiveness are the ones that need to be recommended to suicidal individuals. Therapies and medications are also necessities for these individuals to feel better. Most important of all, suicidal individuals tend to isolate and think their pain is unique and incurable. Lots of love and compassion from others without harsh judgment (doctors, nurses, therapists, friends, family, significant others, co-workers, etc) will tremendously help these individuals to recover. One misconception we always have for suicidal individuals is that we think we can scold them and then they will buck up and change. We sometimes get too frustrated ourselves (which is very understandable because we are worried) and we release our anger on these individuals who suffer psychological pain. However, by using fear and judgment, we are only pushing this individual further to the edge and to help them feel worse, instead of better. So, remember when you realize you have the need to "control" how the suicidal individuals should think, take a deep breath and return your attention back to love and compassion. Remind yourself that you want to help, but not the need to feel you are superior/right.

Opened my mind

I read this book in the hospital after my 2nd attempt to kill myself. It brought to light so many things that I was unable to see in myself and what I was doing to my family. It helped me understand my suicide attempts that had previously blindsided me. I had no idea why nor did any of my loved ones. I reccommended this book to all of my friends and family so they could also understand. It is a quick read and although repetitive, very accurate.

A Must for Therapists

This is an excellent study of what goes on in the mind of the suicidal client. It is also a beautiful and unforgettable book. I found it touching and illuminating and it has had a profound impact on the way I treat such clients in therapy. I only thought I understood their psychological pain, but I am more accepting and empathic since reading this incredibly moving book. Required reading for all therapists.

Worth Reading

My brother killed himself several weeks ago and I found this book useful in trying to understand his emotions and mindset before he took his life. A combination of reading this book, talking to people who knew him, and thinking about his life experiences makes me feel that I understand him better than I did before and helps me answer why he selected suicide as THE solution.I found the online book review at The American Journal of Psychiatry helpful in deciding to buy this book. I wish the book was organized differently, but then it would be a different book wouldn't it :)

interesting read

Speaking from personal experience, I can truly say that this book was incredible. It was an easy read and extremely interesting to read. I couldn't put it down until I was finished with it. It appeals to your emotions and questions your beliefs. I felt that I could really relate to this book. It also seemed as if the author know what was going on inside my head. My interest in the suicidal mind has expanded and grown deeper since I first read this book. I would recommend it to anyone who is intersted in the psychology of the suicidal mind and anyone who knows someone who is suicidal or is suicidal themselves. It was simply, a book that I could totally relate to.