Suicide ─ An Unnecessary Death

Approximately one million people worldwide commit suicide each year, and at least ten times as many attempt suicide. A considerable number of these people are in contact with members of the healthcare sector, and encounters with suicidal individuals form a common part of the everyday work of many healthcare professionals. Suicide: An unnecessary death examines the pharmacological, psychotherapeutic, and psychosocial measures adopted by psychiatrists, GPs, and other health-care staff, and emphasizes the need for a clearer psychodynamic understanding of the self if patients are to be successfully recognized, diagnosed, and treated.

Drawing on the latest research by leading international experts in the field of suicidology, this new edition provides clinicians with an accessible summary of the latest research into suicide and its prevention. The abundance of new literature can make it difficult for those whose clinical practice involves daily contact with suicidal patients to devote sufficient time to penetrating the research and, accordingly, apply new findings in their clinical practice. In light of the WHO Mental Health Action Plan 2013-2020, this new edition is a timely contribution to the field, and a vital and rapid overview, that will increase awareness of suicide prevention methods.

Danuta Wasserman, Professor of Psychiatry and Suicidology, National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP), Karolinska Institutet, Sweden

Professor in Psychiatry and Suicidology at Karolinska Institutet (KI), Danuta Wasserman is the Founding Head of the National Centre for Suicide Research and Prevention of Mental Ill-Health (NASP) at KI, Stockholm, Sweden since 1993. She is also the Director of the WHO Collaborating Centre for Research, Methods Development and Training in Suicide Prevention, and expert advisor to the WHO Office in Copenhagen and Geneve since 1995. Professor Wasserman was President of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA) from January 2013 - January 2014. She is a former President of the International Academy of Suicide Research (IASR) and is also Honorary President of the Swedish-Estonian Institute of Suicidology. On a National and Nordic level, Professor Wasserman has built up a National Centre for Suicide Research and the Prevention of Mental Ill-Health and a strong Nordic research network on the prevention of mental disorders.