10 books about suicide

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.

An engrossing memoir-meets-investigative report that takes a fresh, frank look at how we treat depression Depression is a havoc-wreaking illness that masquerades as personal failing and hijacks your life. After a major suicide attempt in her early twenties, Anna Mehler Paperny resolved to put her reporter’s skills to use to get to know her enemy, setting off on a journey to understand her condition, the dizzying array of medical treatments on offer, and a medical profession in search of answers. Charting the way depression wrecks so many lives, she maps competing schools of therapy, pharmacology, cutting-edge medicine, the pill-popping pitfalls of long-term treatment, the glaring unknowns and the institutional shortcomings that both patients and practitioners are up against. She interviews leading medical experts across the US and Canada, from psychiatrists to neurologists, brain-mapping pioneers to family practitioners, and others dabbling in strange hypotheses—and shares compassionate conversations with fellow sufferers. Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me tracks Anna’s quest for knowledge and her desire to get well. Impeccably reported, it is a profoundly compelling story about the human spirit and the myriad ways we treat (and fail to treat) the disease that accounts for more years swallowed up by disability than any other in the world.

A study of the growing epidemic of suicide among young people draws on the author's firsthand battle with severe manic-depression and attempted suicide to reveal the psychological, medical, and biological aspects of self-inflicted death.

As seen in THE NEW YORK TIMES • READER'S DIGEST • SPIRITUALITY & HEALTH • HUFFPOST Featured on NPR's RADIO TIMES and WISCONSIN PUBLIC RADIO When a painful loss or life-shattering event upends your world, here is the first thing to know: there is nothing wrong with grief. "Grief is simply love in its most wild and painful form," says Megan Devine. "It is a natural and sane response to loss." So, why does our culture treat grief like a disease to be cured as quickly as possible? In It’s OK That You’re Not OK, Megan Devine offers a profound new approach to both the experience of grief and the way we try to help others who have endured tragedy. Having experienced grief from both sides—as both a therapist and as a woman who witnessed the accidental drowning of her beloved partner—Megan writes with deep insight about the unspoken truths of loss, love, and healing. She debunks the culturally prescribed goal of returning to a normal, "happy" life, replacing it with a far healthier middle path, one that invites us to build a life alongside grief rather than seeking to overcome it. In this compelling and heartful book, you’ll learn: • Why well-meaning advice, therapy, and spiritual wisdom so often end up making it harder for people in grief • How challenging the myths of grief—doing away with stages, timetables, and unrealistic ideals about how grief should unfold—allows us to accept grief as a mystery to be honored instead of a problem to solve • Practical guidance for managing stress, improving sleep, and decreasing anxiety without trying to "fix" your pain • How to help the people you love—with essays to teach us the best skills, checklists, and suggestions for supporting and comforting others through the grieving process Many people who have suffered a loss feel judged, dismissed, and misunderstood by a culture that wants to "solve" grief. Megan writes, "Grief no more needs a solution than love needs a solution." Through stories, research, life tips, and creative and mindfulness-based practices, she offers a unique guide through an experience we all must face—in our personal lives, in the lives of those we love, and in the wider world. It’s OK That You’re Not OK is a book for grieving people, those who love them, and all those seeking to love themselves—and each other—better.

Now updated, this classic guide to mourning the sudden death of a loved one contains advice on coping with difficult emotions, making sense of the world after a loss, where to find support, and much more.

While confined to a mental hospital, thirteen-year-old Callie slowly comes to understand some of the reasons behind her self-mutilation, and gradually starts to get better.

Teens are hurting. While trying to make sense of an increasingly confusing and troubled world, teens get hit, again and again, with moves, separations, divorces, rejections, substance abuse, domestic violence, sexual abuse, illness, disability, and death. Edgy, fun-loving, tech-driven, and seemingly indestructible, their souls are shaking. Gnawing questions surface from deep inside: "How did this happen? Why me? Is this my fault? What am I supposed to do? Who's next? Am I going to make it?" Teen hearts are at stake. Each one is a priceless treasure. We can't afford to allow pain and loss to get the better of them. What can we do? Award-winning author and grief counselor Gary Roe wrote Teen Grief at the request of parents, teachers, coaches, and school counselors. Born of personal experience and more than three decades of interacting with grieving teens, this informative, practical handbook is replete with guidance, insight, and ideas for helping teens navigate the turbulent waters of loss. Though Teen Grief primarily focuses on losses due to death, the principles discussed can be applied to any loss a teen might be experiencing. Teens are the future. If we can help them discover how to turn losses into gains and transform hardship into something productive, positive, and good, the ripple effects could be extraordinary. As they heal and grow, they can become the difference-makers this world so desperately needs. Teens are hurting. They need us. They need you. It's time to help them heal.