Question for my side bar friends.
In situations where a friend has a family member that has committed suicide I have given them "the grief hand book" and the book "my son my son".
My good friend's son has just unsuccessfully tried to commit suicide with alcohol and pills. He has just come out of his coma today after 2 days. Does anyone have any supportive book book to recommend to give to them to read? they are avid readers.
He is 40 years old, lives 14 hours away from them, is depressed about a recent divorce and has two children.
So sorry to hear about your friend's son. I have read some good books on suicide many years ago that I still have and that might be helpful for them to read. Here they are on Amazon:
November of the Soul: The Enigma of Suicide by George Howe Colt (I had read this author's other book,
The Big House, and picked this one up to read one day):
"Written with the same graceful narrative voice that made his bestselling National Book Award finalist The Big House such a success, George Howe Colt's November of the Soul is a compassionate, compelling, thought-provoking, and exhaustive investigation into the subject of suicide. Drawing on hundreds of in-depth interviews and a fascinating survey of current knowledge, Colt provides moving case studies to offer insight into all aspects of suicide -- its cultural history, the latest biological and psychological research, the possibilities of prevention, the complexities of the right-to-die movement, and the effects on suicide's survivors.
Presented with deep compassion and humanity, November of the Soul is an invaluable contribution not only to our understanding of suicide but also of the human condition."
http://www.amazon.com/November-Soul...eywords=november+of+the+soul+george+howe+colt
A review of November of the Soul: The Enigma of Suicide
"...It should be noted that this book is not devoted to offering definitive solutions to the problems that it discusses. It also does not attempt to offer pragmatic advice to those who would like to identify and intervene in cases where someone is at high risk of taking their own life. This is a book written by a journalist for the layperson and, therefore, I do not think that it will be of more than passing interest to the professional or academic. The principal reader of November of the Soul will be someone who has been personally affected by suicide and who would like to make sense of what has transpired."
http://metapsychology.mentalhelp.net/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=3569&cn=158
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Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide by Kay Redfield Jamison
"From the author of the best-selling memoir
An Unquiet Mind, comes the first major book in a quarter century on suicide, and its terrible pull on the young in particular. Night Falls Fast is tragically timely: suicide has become one of the most common killers of Americans between the ages of fifteen and forty-five.
An internationally acknowledged authority on depressive illnesses, Dr. Jamison has also known suicide firsthand: after years of struggling with manic-depression, she tried at age twenty-eight to kill herself. Weaving together a historical and scientific exploration of the subject with personal essays on individual suicides, she brings not only her remarkable compassion and literary skill but also all of her knowledge and research to bear on this devastating problem. This is a book that helps us to understand the suicidal mind, to recognize and come to the aid of those at risk, and to comprehend the profound effects on those left behind. It is critical reading for parents, educators, and anyone wanting to understand this tragic epidemic."
http://www.amazon.com/Night-Falls-Fast-Understanding-Suicide/dp/0375701478
Book Review of Night Falls Fast by David Yarian, Ph.D.
"...I recommend this book to everyone touched by suicide. For those who are struggling with thoughts and desires of suicide, Jamison offers information that can help you find a better way. To those who have lost a loved one to suicide, her compassionate yet scientific presentation can provide comfort and understanding. To those who are trying to help those who are struggling, whether as friend, family member or professional, this book will help you understand suicide better -- the experience, the painful struggle, and how to help."
http://www.davidyarian.com/book-reviews/night-fall-fast-understanding-suicide.htm
And here is an
EXCERPT
Night Falls Fast
Understanding Suicide
By KAY REDFIELD JAMISON
https://www.nytimes.com/books/first/j/jamison-night.html
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And the last book:
Suicide: The Forever Decision by Paul G. Quinnett
"For those thinking about suicide, and for those who know, love, or counsel them, this book discusses the social aspects of suicide, the right to die, anger, loneliness, depression, stress, hopelessness, drug and alcohol abuse, the consequences of a suicide attempt, and how to get help"
http://www.amazon.com/Suicide-Decis...&sr=1-1&keywords=Suicide+the+Forever+Decision
A review of Suicide: The Forever Decision :
"Pros: Honest, respectful, insightful book for people who feel ready to make a final exit.
Cons: Might be too direct for some people. Could be offputting...
Quinnett comes across as a very wise counselor. He doesn't write a lot of trite, mushy "you've got your whole life ahead of you" stuff that depressed people have heard a billion times before. Quinnett writes the truth...
I found this book to be very comforting when I was feeling depressed on a regular basis. Quinnett's tone is empathetic, insightful, and respectful. The book is not overwhelming or overly long. He's used a comfortably large sized font that's easy on the eyes so the book is easy to read. In my opinion, it would be easy for people with depression to pick this book up and read it-- it was for me, anyway. Those who have the will to read this book have most assuredly not conclusively decided to kill themselves. I believe that Paul G. Quinnett's book may help these people tip the scales in the direction of choosing life. Yes, suicide is a choice that people are able to make to solve all of their problems right now and forevermore. But this book is very likely to show readers why they shouldn't make a choice that will solve all of their problems forever. For that reason, I recommend it wholeheartedly."
http://theovereducatedhousewife.blogspot.com/2015/11/reposted-review-of-suicide-forever.html
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Those are the 3 books that I have read that I recommend. Take a look and see what you think.
Amazon has lots of books on suicide if these books I have listed are not to your liking. Here's a link:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=stripbooks&field-keywords=Suicide+
(and this is why I neeeed to keep all my books :tantrum: )
