Myths about Suicide

Excellent book that reveals a lot of misconceptions about suicide by using thoughtful analysis. A must read for leaders or those in fields with higher rates of suicide.

Thomas Joiner should be commended for his research and study. Most other books frankly leave much to be desired. Please read his first book "Why People Die" before reading his new work. I'm not a sociologist or psych professional but a business professional. I've had over a dozen friends effect "self-deliverence" stemming from "econo-cide" or "divorce-cide" in the past 3 years. All were brillant smart caring and loving people who simply couldn't cope. Dr. Joiner's thesis of connectedness and belonging to a context greater than self is spot on and desreves great praise., especially in today's times where the concept of self-fulfillment has greater context than respondsibility to family, friends and work.Suicide clearly is not viewed correctly by the media. They will write on auto accidents as a "natural cause of death", but have no manifest to research why mostly males choose to end pain and suffering for the sake of reasons only that respective individual takes with him to eternity.Dr. Joiner's rearch offers the most clear, brillant and insightful thoughts regarding self-deliverance.With the most viscious economic climate since the depression and a surge in divorce of long-term marriages, I hope Dr. Joiner's next book tackles these two alarming trends. The cause/effect relationship is there in living color.Dr. Joiner's work on perception/reality is fascinating in every realm especially in a society like today where intellectual and emotional honesty seems to have been discarded.For those who have lost a family member or friend due to self-deliverance, you have my honest condolonces. But also please consider what caused their decision.Dr. Joiner's two works offer the most insightful, well researched and easily read insight into the mind and thought process of those that seek to transition from human existence.I highly recommend both these excellent titles.

Really great book that gives you a different way to look at these tragedies. Really enlightening and worth the read.

This book delves right into dispelling the many myths around suicide, and I think he did a pretty good job at that overall.The biggest takeaways I got from this is that suicide doesn't make somebody "weak" or that they are "taking the easy way out." He presents evidence that shows taking one's own life is actually incredible difficult and requires us to overcome our instinctual drive to stay alive.I will say also this is a very scholarly text, so the layman reader may be turned off by the writing style and approach. But I still recommend for those who want to learn more about this subject as it's for far too long been ignored and stigmatized.

Dr. Joiner has given us another opportunity for deep reflections on the myths related to suicide. If you are sincerely interested in the theory of Dr. Joiner and want to appreciate this book even more, then I suggest reading first his previous book (Why People Die by Suicide, 2007.) There are many myths related to suicide and the merit of Dr. Joiner is not only "to collect" them in one book, but mostly "to explain" why these myths are still perceived as "the truth" and "to present" the "anti-myths" by supporting them with reliable research. In addition, Dr. Joiner builds his counterarguments using his theory and what strikes the readers' attention is the "simplicity" with which he explains his view. His writing is simple and direct; he is able to connect myths, false beliefs, research and antimyths as my grandmother was able to mix together all the ingredients for the perfect Sunday sauce......it looked simple but almost impossible to replicate. I highly recommend this book if you are interested in accurate information about suicide delivered to you by one of the best suicidologist in the world.PS: I am Italian so I can certify that Bellagio is located in Italy and "not only" in Las Vegas (see pag.281.) If you still do not believe me visit [...].

As a person that had seen the process through which someone becomes suicidal (with friends, distant families, and family of some friends), I would say that almost all Dr. Joiners statements in this book are true.If your interested in the subject of suicidology, this will be a good read.

This is the best academic/professional book about suicide I have read. It's pairs compassion with science and thoroughly educates on how to converse about suicide without being hard to read. I wouldn't recommend for early in a grief journey, as I had limited focus and would not have been able to comprehend the messages. It's a but lengthier, but it comes across as safe and embracing--I am sure I will return to this book time and again.If you love someone who lost someone to suicide or you are in any professional capacity dealing with suicide survivors, you should read this book. It's tone is compassionate and caring, while being honest and straight to the point. I would prefer speaking about suicide in the vocabulary and tone of this book, and I would seriously appreciate any of my loved ones taking the time to digest it and respect its messages.

Dr. Joiner does an excellent job of de-mything the many troubling aspects of Suicide. Physicians are not always attuned to the newer research and prevention methods. Society needs to take a more proactive stance for the Real Advances in Suicide Prevention. Some of the chapters start out debunking one myth but then Dr. Joiner lends some credence to the myth by his examples. Good Start, every physician should read this book.

Le livre aurait bénéficié d'un sommaire plus exhaustif, il est difficile à naviguer. De plus, le contenu part dans tous les sens et me semble aller à l'encontre de tous les conseils les plus basiques sur 'comment parler de suicide' (sous-entendre que les suicidés ne sont pas lâches, mais plutôt que ce sont ceux qui ont raté leur tentative qui le sont me parait honteux et dangereux). Il ne démentit pas les mythes de manière efficace et se perd dans ses explications, même si certaines personnes pourront sans doute apprécier la pluralité des approches et explications proposées.Je ne le recommande absolument pas, je l'ai d'ailleurs renvoyé à amazon.