Psychotherapy with Suicidal People
A Person-centered Approach
Chapter One
SUICIDE
Death is difficult to understand. Death is mysterious. It is almost universally feared
and remains forever elusive. This is especially so with suicide. Almost all of us are
bewildered, confused, and even overwhelmed when confronted with suicide. Yet,
for some it is a final solution. Perplexing for most, it is actively sought by a few.
Paradoxically, these few same people are probably the least aware of the essence of
reasons for doing so. Understanding suicide, and death, is a complex endeavour
for all.
DEFINITION OF SUICIDE
Briefly defined, suicide is the human act of self-inflicted, self-intentioned cessation
(Shneidman, 1973). Suicide is not a disease (although there are many who think
so); it is not a biological anomaly (although biological factors may play a role in
some suicides); it is not an immorality (although it has often been treated as such);
and it is not a crime in most countries around the world (although it was so for
centuries).
It is unlikely that any one view or theory will ever define or explain phenomena
as varied and as complicated as acts of human self-destruction. Our o ... read full excerpt from Psychotherapy with Suicidal People: A Person-centred Approach ebook
