RETHINKING SUICIDE

An examination of how suicide prevention efforts largely fail due to the mistaken assumption that greater mental health awareness is the key to saving lives Over the last two decades the US suicide rate has steadily grown despite extensive awareness campaigns wide implementation of suicide prevention programs and initiatives and increased mental health advocacy To the confusion and frustration of researchers healthcare providers and many others these efforts have largely failed to reverse the trend Why do suicide rates continue to climb despite our best efforts Why aren t we better at this What are we doing wrong Rethinking Suicide is a critical examination of what we think we know about suicide with particular focus on the assumed role of mental illness Craig J Bryan a leading expert on suicide prevention argues that most prevention efforts have failed because they disproportionately emphasize mental health focused solutions such as access to treatment and crisis services Instead of classifying suicide as a mental health issue careful analysis of research findings suggest it should instead be seen as a highly complex problem with many risk factors from personal decision making styles to the availability of lethal means to financial uncertainty