Summary
Statistics show that approximately 11 out of every 100,000 Americans commit suicide each year. In 1999, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more teenagers and young adults died from suicide than from cancer, heart disease, AIDS, birth defects, stroke, and chronic lung disease combined. That year there were 1.7 times as many suicides as homicides, and suicide was the third leading cause of death for young people aged 15 to 24.
A comprehensive A-to-Z introduction to the phenomenon of suicide from ancient times to the present, The Encyclopedia of Suicide, Second Edition is a heavily expanded, updated, and revised edition of this topic. The encyclopedia covers a wide range of aspects, including the causes, history, and psychology of suicide. Presenting more than 500 entries that detail the philosophical and religious issues, psychological and sociological viewpoints, and recent statistics, it also discusses new trends in research and treatment. Extensive appendixes provide national and international suicide statistics and resource directories listing associations, clinics, and hotlines.
Specifications
Index. Appendixes. Bibliography. Cross-references.
About the Author(s)
Glen Evans was a member of the American Association of Suicidologists and president of the American Society of Journalists and Authors.
Norman L. Farberow, Ph.D., is cofounder and director of the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center. He is also the recipient of several regional and national awards and honors for his work. A board-certified psychologist, he is also a clinical professor in psychiatry (psychology) at the University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
Kennedy Associates draws on many years of experience in the publishing field and maintains a seasoned team of writing and editing professionals who are specialists in health and psychology. Founded by Carol Turkington, Kennedy Associates’s roster includes a core group of 12 writers. The organization has access to a nationwide network of experts in a wide variety of fields and has produced several series of books.
Alan L. Berman, Ph.D. is executive director of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS), past president of AAS(1984-1985) and their 1982 Shneidman Award recipient for Outstanding Contributions in Research in Suicidology. He holds a B.A. from Johns Hopkins University and a Ph.D. from Catholic University of America. In 1991 Dr. Berman was named director of the newly established National Center for the Study and Prevention of Suicide at the Washington School of Psychiatry, a position he held until accepting his current role with the AAS in January, 1995.
A diplomate in clinical psychology (American Board of Professional Psychology) and a fellow of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Berman maintains a full time private practice of psychotherapy and psychological consultation at the Washington, DC Psychological Center. He has published more than 90 professional articles and book chapters. From 1990-1994, he served as Case Consultation Editor of the journal Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior (SLTB). A fellow of the International Academy of Suicide Research, in 1999 Dr. Berman was elected first vice president of the International Association for Suicide Prevention.
Dr. Berman appears frequently on both national and local media. He has appeared twice on The Today Show, and on Good Morning America, Hour Magazine, and The Larry King Show.
He has testified on Capitol Hill three times: on suicide among Vietnam combat veterans, on teenage suicide, and on the U.S.S. Iowa explosion. In 1996 he was appointed Consultant to the Office of Independent Counsel to investigate and finalize their report on the 1993 death of White House Counsel Vincent Foster, Jr.
He served on the HHS Federal Task Force on Youth Suicide Prevention (1985-6) and was an initiating member of the Centers for Disease Control sponsored “Working Group,” on the operational criteria for the classification of suicide and the NIMH sponsored conference on developing a nomenclature for suicide morbidity.
He frequently is asked to serve as an expert witness in legal cases involving suicide malpractice and wrongful death and has a national reputation as a teacher and professional workshop leader on the topics of suicide and youth suicide (assessment and intervention).