Suicide: Prevention, Intervention, Postvention - Softcover

Once every minute, someone tries to kill himself with conscious intent. Sixty or seventy times a day these attempts succeed. Earl A. Grollman has gathered a valuable overview of the statistics and of the religious, philosophical, and psychological viewpoints on suicide. Using this background, he presents guidelines for action directed especially to the "gatekeepers", to those who are in a position to help and are willing to act. He points out some surprising statistics - among teenagers, suicide is the third leading cause of death; among college students, it rises to second place. The suicide rate is higher near holidays and in the spring, especially April. It is higher among professionals. More women attempt suicide, but more men complete the act. And he discusses peculiar modern variations - installment-plan suicide, autocide (or suicidal driving), and the "flameout", or what happens when youthful creative drive slips away and aspiration becomes frustration. Presenting the religious views, he looks at both historical and modern interpretations of the major faiths, then reviews what the theorists say, from Freud's "aggression turned upon self" to Karen Horney's performance suicide. For the doctor, the nurse, the social worker, the clergyman, and the family, this is an in dispensable volume, geared to those who might be able to answer a call for help. Working in terms of Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention, Rabbi Grollman discusses recognizing suicidal tendencies, what an individual can do to help, what community resources exist, and how to help the family and friends of the suicide victim.