Why People Die by Suicide

I saw the author Thomas, on Dr Phil I think? I immediately order the book. I wanted to hear his story about suicide coming from not only a man who lost his father to suicide.. But a man who is now a psychologist and understand what goes on inside the human brain.when you talk to therapist when dealing with grievance because you lost your father to suicide, they speak like textbook. I'm not cutting them down because some of them do a really good job and helping those of us who have gone through this. But this guy the author of this book has lived it.I wrote him an email after I read the book and he was very generous to write back and immediately. I don't even remember what it said it was so long ago. I bought the book because I had attempted over 5 times since the mid 90s. I had a bad car accident and my frontal lobe, the front of my head went through the glass window.I never showed signs of a mental illness until then. I was in a coma for a few hours. So I have Ben diagnosed with three mental disorders since 95. I bought it to help me. I really feel like God directed me to buy this book because he wanted to prepare me for the worst thing that ever happened in my life. I thought that car accident would be the worst thing but I was wrong. I had just finished the first chapter right is disgusted his father's suicide. The rest of the book is basically really technical about suicide and to be honest I didn't understand a lot of it because I think it's aimed at psychologist and psychiatrist to read. But 2 weeks after I was finished reading that chapter about his experience when his father committed suicide, my dad goes and kills himself. I am NOT a religious person but God prepared me.I say compleated because it is a new term that is being used in the suicide campaign. Committing suicide sounds like a crime so now we are using completed suicide because that's exactly what happened and what happens. God bless those of you who are thinking of suicide or who had a loved one complete suicide. Thomas, you are one heck of a guy and I really appreciate you for writing this. Even though I have a hard time comprehending the majority of the book, I have bad comprehension and I think it was too smart for me to be honest. But I really needed that first chapter

Unlike some of the other reviewers (who are excellent), I did not lose anyone close to suicide. But I've heard people talk about losing someone close and they remain perplexed as well as wounded for years. Even if a note was left behind it does not always explain why the person killed themselves satisfactorily.There would be talk of problems the person had. A loss or pain in their life. Isolation orr depression or alcohol or drug addiction. But many others have similar problems but never commit suicide. So a further explanation to why people die by suicide is definitely needed. The author, a researcher on the subject, makes a strong case that those who do commit suicide need, in some way, to first learn to overcome the natural inclination to cling to life. To gain a competence to complete the act. This can come from certain types of experiences in their life involving dealing with physical pain of various types.I believe this book is a real contribution to the subject of suicide and will assist the treatment of those thinking of suicide. There are other researchers who feel this book does not provide the final answer. Let's hope they all keep working on the subject until all the answers are found. There are tens of thousands in the US alone every year who take their own lives. It's surprising there has not been more research on the subject before now.

This book, far from being an all encompassing book on the various theories of why people commit suicide, is actually a book used by the author to promote his own theory. I was sort of turned off by this as most of the book was dedicated to proving his theory and his theory alone. However, I suppose the book is needed. Each theory should have it's day in the sun. I just wish it had been more impartial and read less like a dissertation defense.Also, as a psychology major in college and a BA degree holder in that same discipline. I've read my fill of psychology textbooks that repeat themselves ad nauseum in making their points. The reason the textbook authors do it is to fill up pages and make the chapters in the textbook longer. As a student, I just wanted to be finished with the darn textbook chapter already. Unfortunately this book does that too, bringing me unpleasantly back to my college days and showing the author is more used to academic writing, than writing books that are not textbooks.The most fascinating part of the book came during the neurobiology section which went over genes and certain neurochemicals that are implicated in suicide. In fact, it may have made the slow drudgery of the rest of the text worthwhile. So if you ever get bored with this book, just skip to that chapter. You will be riveted.On another note, I do wish that when suicide is discussed that suicide would not be seen as the problem, but the result of the problem which is occuring in the psyche of people who are suffering. The problem is actually the mental and emotional suffering these people go through before the suicide occurs. I wish this would be acknowledged more by people concerned with this issue.

Bought it for a purpose. Gave me an insight into how someone gets so low It taught me suicide is not a selfish act

Fabulous. I learnt lots of new things by reading this and I've been a psychiatric nurse for 20 years. Highly recommended.

Helpful perspective on what can be done to keep someone alive when suicide seems to be a possibility in their life.

This book is one theory, convincing, re why people commit suicide. He is an academic and a consumer. Easy to read and I have used the theory several times in explanations

Very informative. His theories make a lot of sense. Describes how someone ends up on the road the to suicide.