Delving into a topic of perennial interest and concern, particularly among teenagers, this important volume addresses the full range of issues related to suicide and suggests ways to help those who struggle.
While the risk of suicide is increasing across age groups, the good news is that with timely intervention, most suicides are preventable. Written primarily for high school and college students as well as for their teachers and parents, this guide combines relevant research and theories about suicide with current clinical thinking and approaches to diagnosis and treatment. Going beyond the clinical, the volume also explores suicide in history and in popular culture and examines relevant cultural, religious, moral, and ethical viewpoints. It looks at suicide among various demographic groups, probes psychological motivations and methods used, and discusses the controversy surrounding a person’s right to die.
What differentiates this work from others is that it covers the breadth of the subject but also considers issues in enough depth to make their importance and complexity clear. Readers will better understand the problem of suicide, its impact, and the approaches that can be used to prevent suicide and deal more effectively with at-risk individuals.
Features
- Examines the topic from a variety of perspectives and provides insights into current issues and controversies, such as doctor-assisted suicide
- Discusses suicide among a variety of age groups and social classes, not just teenagers and college students
- Draws on the author's 40 years of clinical and academic experience as well as on the most up-to-date scholarly and professional literature
- Serves as a gateway to other resources and further study
Rudy Nydegger, PhD, is professor of management and psychology at the School of Management at Union Graduate College and in the Department of Psychology at Union College, Schenectady, NY. He is a board-certified clinical psychologist with a private practice and consulting firm. In addition, he is chief of psychology at Ellis Hospital in Schenectady, NY. Former positions include assistant professor of psychology at Rice University, clinical assistant professor at Baylor College of Medicine, and adjunct professor at Cornell University.
Reviews
"With an informative, comprehensive narrative, the book can serve as an excellent resource on suicide and suicide prevention for students and health care providers as well as patients and their families. Summing Up: Recommended. All undergraduate students, general readers, and health care professionals/practitioners."—Choice, July 1, 2015
"Rudy Nydegger writes about suicide and mental illness as if neither topic were taboo, nor the province of experts only.
And that's his point. His book, Suicide and Mental Health, published last year, presents the subjects in a straight forward, non-judgmental way. Nydegger intended it to be accessible to readers as young as high school students, who may have friends struggling with depression or thinking about ending their lives. . . . Its direct approach works well in puncturing some cultural assumptions about suicide, such as the idea that only mentally ill individuals would consider ending their lives intentionally."—Times Union, September 14, 2015
Health and Medical Issues Today
From the latest developments in treatment to updates on public health threats, information about health and medicine impacts lives more directly than almost any other subject. Despite a wealth of coverage online and in print media, there is still an overwhelming need for a single source to which a reader can turn for accurate, current information on an issue of concern.
The series Health and Medical Issues Today provides just such one-stop resources for those seeking solid overviews of the most controversial and persisting issues in health and psychology. Each volume offers a balanced, in-depth introduction to the medical, scientific, legal, and cultural aspects of subjects ranging from obesity to sports medicine, mental illness, HIV/AIDS, and tobacco use.
