Foreword, David A. Jobes
I. Foundations
1. Introduction to Suicidology
2. The Theoretical Construction of Suicidology
II. Data, Research, Assessment
3. Grounding Suicidology in Empirical Evidence
4. Risk Factors and Risk Assessment:Measurement
III. Sociodemographic Issues
5. Age, Lifespan, and Suicidal Careers
6. Sex, Gender, and Marital Status: A Phallocentric Focus
7. Social Relations, Work, and the Economy: Social versus
Individual Facts
8. International Variation, Ethnicity, and Race in Suicide
9. Who Makes Suicide Attempts, How, and What Do Suicide Notes Say
about Them?
IV. Major Mental Disorders, Biology, Neurobiology
10. Mental Disorder: The Most Important Suicide Risk Factor?
11. Major Depression: Undiagnosed and Untreated
12. Bipolar Disorder: A Suicidogenic Cycle of Despair
13. Schizophrenia: Bizarre and Psychotic Suicides
14. Personality Disorders: Borderline, Antisocial, and
Obsessive–Compulsive Personalities
15. Alcoholism and Other Substance Abuse:The Second Most Important
Suicide Risk Factor
16. Suicidal Biogenics of the Brain: Biology, Genetics, and
Neurobiology
V. Religion, Culture, History, Ethics
17. God, the Afterlife, Religion, and Culture
18. Suicide in History and Art: How Did Suicide Evolve?
19. Ethical Issues, Euthanasia, and Rational Suicide: Is Suicide
Ever the Right Thing to Do?
VI. Special Topics
20. Suicide in the Military: War, Aggression, and PTSD
21. Murder–Suicide: Why Take Someone with You?
22. Jail and Prison Suicides: Confinement, Rage, and Target
Reduction
VII. Treatment and Prevention
23. Treatment and Intervention I. Pharmacology: What Are We Going
to Do about Suicide?
24. Treatment and Intervention II. Psychotherapy: What Are We Going
to do about Suicide?
25. Prevention: Can Suicides Be Stopped or Reduced?
26. Postvention and Survivors: Death May Solve the Suicide’s
Problems, but What about Those Left Behind?
27. Forensic Suicidology: A Tort Is the Oldest Antidepressant
VIII. Summary and Conclusions
28. What Have We Learned?
References
Ronald W. Maris, PhD, is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry, Family Medicine, and Sociology at the University of South Carolina (USC), where he directed the Center for the Study of Suicide for 15 years. He is a forensic suicidologist who offers investigation, consultation, and testimony on a variety of civil and criminal cases. Dr. Maris has written or edited 22 books and about 100 articles. He is past president of the American Association of Suicidology and a past editor of the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. The recipient of four teaching awards from USC, Dr. Maris was certified in forensic suicidology by the American Association of Suicidology and earned Fellow status in the American Academy of Forensic Sciences. He has been invited to address the U.S. Congress on veteran suicides; was a consultant on the Columbia University/Food and Drug Administration project to analyze data on the relationship of suicidality and antidepressant treatment in children and adolescents, leading to black-box warnings; and has served as consultant and reviewer for grant applications to the National Institute of Mental Health, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and the National Academy of Sciences.
"There are now many books and countless articles pertaining to
suicide prevention. Nevertheless, there is no text quite like this
one, which covers the field in all its dimensions, nuances, and
complexities….The next time I teach my Seminar on Suicide course,
this book will be the text around which I will organize the class,
because there is no better collection of suicide prevention
knowledge in the literature….A gift to the field."--from the
Foreword by David A. Jobes, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychology,
The Catholic University of America
"A giant of suicidology, Maris offers us a uniquely thorough
appraisal of one of the most complex of human tragedies. This
remarkable authored volume has the special advantage of providing a
harmonious synthesis of many years of research and clinical and
forensic practice in suicidology at the highest professional
levels. Wise and detailed examinations of famous case histories
make this book a ‘must have’ for those interested in deepening
their knowledge of the suicide enigma. Clinicians and students
alike will treasure it.”--Diego de Leo, PhD, MD, DSc, Professor
Emeritus of Psychiatry, Australian Institute for Suicide Research
and Prevention, Griffith University, Australia
"This text provides a much-needed comprehensive summary and
balanced critique of the current state of the field of suicidology.
Strengths include the interdisciplinary lens, engaging case
examples, and attention to special topics like suicide in prisons
and military settings; culture and art; religious and ethical
aspects; and murder–suicide. The content is current, thought
provoking, and approachable for multiple audiences, from advanced
undergraduates to those who have been working in suicidology for a
long time. Instructors will appreciate the text's flexibility; they
can arrange the presentation of topics in a way that best fits
their style and course plan. Students using the text in a course
will end up knowing more about suicide and prevention than many
mental health professionals currently working."--Jennifer J.
Muehlenkamp, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of
Wisconsin–Eau Claire
"Provides a complete overview of the range of factors--from
neurobiology to culture--that 21st-century students of suicidology
need to understand. Maris’s writing style differentiates the volume
from edited texts; he conveys even the most technical material in
an accessible manner and combines comprehensible summaries of
empirical studies with wisdom derived from a lifetime of work in
the field, along with interesting quotations from literature.
Notable features of the volume include compelling case studies that
cover the gamut of reasons why a person might commit suicide; an
excellent overview for students of psychiatric medications used to
treat disorders that often underlie suicide, such as depression;
presentation of the most well-known theories of suicide; and an
examination of commonalities across individual suicides. This
volume can effectively serve as the primary textbook for an
advanced undergraduate- or graduate-level course."--Anthony
Spirito, PhD, ABPP, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior,
Alpert Medical School of Brown University -
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