Customer Reviews

Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind

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Edwin Shneidman, one of the keenest minds on suicide, offers an outstanding "autopsy" of a suicidal mind, Arthur, a miserable physician-attorney. Arthur, it seems, had a knack for having to be perfect and for communicating his pain in letters. Given his suicide letter (and many drafts that preceded it), Shneidman and a team of suicidologists interview several people who knew Arthur well (they thought) to try to figure out just why Arthur chose death over life.

The book is outstanding. It is hard to stop reading as each expert and interviewee offers his or her own unique views of Arthur's life and death. Unfortunately, if you're looking for one correct answer, it's not in this book. Shneidman does an excellent job of showing how ultimately all psychological questions can be answered with just two words: "It depends!" Depending upon your own perspective, you could argue convincingly that Arthur kills himself because he was, for example, mildly autistic (and untreated), clinically depressed (and inappropriately treated), selfish and narcissistic (attention seeking), controlling and dominant (had to have the last word through his own death), or traumatized as a child by rigid, unloving parents that divorced young.

Overall, if you want to see first hand how some of the premier suicidologists in the world can honestly, yet amicably, disagree, check this excellent, quick read text. It won't give you the answers, but it sure will help you understand better that suicide and psychological health are complex matters that we may never truly understand.

"I have just finished reading Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind. It is a wonderful piece to celebrate a kind of finale to a remarkable career in suicidology, a spectacular set of interviews and a remarkable set of commentaries by major figures in suicidology. And the case itself is fascinating. It is an amazing achievement." M. Brewster Smith, Ph.D. (Former President of the American psychological Asssociation)

I bought this book after reading a delightful article about the author, Schneidman, in the Los Angeles Times a couple of weeks ago (GREAT article, too, if you can find it!) The book is thorough, to say the least. I think probably everything that could be said about Arthur, the man who committed suicide, has been said. I would like to see a picture of him -- or would I? Turns out he was very self-centered; in fact, it's hard for me to believe all these people adored him as they seemed to. I don't mean to pass judgment on the man, but just wanted to let readers know this is an excellent, fascinating primer on suicide, and even of human nature. It is not too technical, and it is very touching in parts, not to mention educational. If you have ever known anyone who has committed suicide, or even know of someone (like Sylvia Plath, the poet), this book will hold your interest all the way through.

The author uses an interesting approach to researching the topic of suicide. I believe any therapist with an interest in this topic will find this book to be of great value.

This is an excellent book. I would recommend it to anyone interested in psychology - especially the suicidal aspect of it. At points the writing may be above the average person, but I think almost anyone can read and understand this book.