Shakespeare, William, 160–61, 163, 165, 362
shame:
as suicide motivation, 223
of surviving families of suicides, 455, 467, 468–72, 474, 475–76, 480
Shaw, George Bernard, 366
Shein, Harvey, 327
Shelhamer, Julia, 295
Shelley, Percy Bysshe, 175, 241
Shilts, Randy, 264
ship of fools, 336
Shneidman, Edwin, 229, 295–98
on biological influence vs. psychosocial factors, 199–200
career of, 295–96, 303–4, 305, 307, 350, 351
on degree of risk, 301
on euthanasia, 575n
on Koestler double suicide, 418
on motivation, 221–22, 353
multidisciplinary approach proposed by, 338
on psychological needs of survivors, 473
public education advocated by, 304, 312, 316
research studies of, 296–97, 301, 330
right to suicide repudiated by, 353
on suicide as inverted murder, 189
suicide defined by, 40
on suicide notes, 239, 240
suicide prevention work of, 298, 300, 302, 303–4, 305, 306, 308, 312, 316, 317, 325, 397
shock treatment (electroconvulsive therapy) (ECT), 194, 565n
Short, James, 204
Siam, royal burials in, 135
Siberia, elderly deaths in, 134, 431
Silius Italicus, 134
Silverstein, Michael, 240
Simeon Stylites, Saint, 153, 560n
Simon, Robert, 314, 315
Sinatra, Frank, 23, 224
Singer, Peter, 375
single parents, 253
situational depression, 42, 484
situational suicide, 308
Sixth Commandment, 154, 156, 414–15
60 Minutes, 382
Slater, Eliot, 401, 436
slaves, 150, 151, 154, 255, 352, 467, 557n
sleeping difficulties, 79, 112
Slender Thread, The, 305
slippery slope hypothesis, 420–21, 422–23
Smith, Bridget, 166–67, 174
Smith, Judie, 81
Smith, Kim, 38–39
Smith, Richard, 166–67, 174
smoking, 268
social integration, 185, 186, 187, 204, 245, 249, 256, 257, 438
socialism, 244
Social Meanings of Suicide, The (Douglas), 204
Social Reality of Death, The, 504
Social Security, 439
sociology, as science, 185, 187
Socrates, 145–46, 149, 268, 386, 395, 408
sodium pentothal, 377, 378
soldiers, suicides of, 84, 145, 150, 186, 275
Solomon, Andrew, 322, 419
Sorrows of Young Werther, The (Goethe), 86–87, 89, 168, 175, 176
SOS High School Suicide Prevention Program, 119–20
soul, transformation of, 356
South Africa, anti-apartheid prisoners in, 560n
Soviet Union, suicide statistics suppressed in, 246
Soylent Green, 444
SPC (Suicide Prevention Center), 282–90, 317, 523
Speak of the Devil, 86
Speijer, Nico, 443
Spenser, Edmund, 160
Spirit of Laws, The (Montesquieu), 173
“Spiritualism and Suicide,” 306
Spoonhour, Anne, 15, 16–17, 18, 20–21, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 30, 31, 34, 35, 124–26
Spoonhour, Giles, 16–18, 20–21, 24, 26, 28–29, 30–31, 34, 35, 124–26
Spoonhour, Justin Christopher, 15–37, 39–40, 48, 49, 59, 79–80, 111, 122–26, 130
Spoonhour, Leah, 18, 20, 21–22, 26, 30, 124, 125
sports, extreme, 275, 560n
spring, suicide increase in, 184, 249–50
SSI (Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation), 314
SSRIs (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors), 3, 142–43, 192, 319, 320–23, 331
Stack, Steven, 250–51, 256
Staël, Anne-Louise-Germaine de, 172
starvation, suicides by, 144
state psychiatric hospitals, 334–35
status, loss of, 222–24, 252
status integration, 204
Steele, William, 116–17
Steincrohn, Peter, 277
Stekel, Wilhelm, 188, 236–37, 355
Stelmachers, Zigfrids, 355, 357
Stengel, Erwin, 96, 240
sterilization, compulsory, 367, 570n
Stevens, Kenneth, 417
Stevenson, Robert Louis, 443
stigma, 36, 467, 181–82, 471–76
Stoics, 147, 149–50, 151, 163, 168, 365
Stone, Alan, 327, 328, 332
Strachey, Lytton, 222
Strahan, Samuel, 181, 471
stress, 196
Strozzi, Philip, 166
Styron, William, 44, 229, 333–34, 474
substance abuse, 41, 271–73
adolescent suicide vs., 46, 48, 62, 73–74, 93, 99–100, 101, 103–5, 106
homosexuality and, 263
mental illness vs., 272
success, depressive response to, 224
succinylcholine, 377
Suetonius, 365
suffering:
intrinsic value ascribed to, 154, 171, 172, 416
see also pain; pain management
suicidality, treatment options for, 312–39
compliance issues in, 320, 336, 564n
crisis counseling, 317
early lack of, 297–98
efficacy of, 316, 317
for elderly, 439
electroconvulsive therapy, 565n
under managed care, 331, 566n
medication used in, 3, 57, 143, 192, 195, 318–23, 539n, 564n
misjudgments in, 327–29, 331–32, 565n
multidisciplinary approach advocated for, 338
by primary care physicians, 331–32, 566n
professional training in, 326–27, 331–32, 566n
in psychiatric hospitals, 332–37
psychotherapy as, 318, 322–26, 327–28, 439
by religious counselors, 336–38
therapists’ availability in, 325–26, 329
see also suicide prevention
suicide:
additional unintended victims of, 354
aftermath of, see suicide, surviving family members after
altruistic, 1, 186–87
in anger, 491
anomic, 187, 188, 255, 551n
attempted vs. completed, 38–39, 95–97, 353, 438, 474
biological factors in, 3, 41, 47–48, 178, 191–94, 195–201, 470–72
case histories of, 15–37, 59–79, 93–94, 97–110, 121–26, 209–20
climate effects on, 173–74, 177–78, 183–84, 249–50, 550n
collective, 84–85, 143
concern for others as disincentive to, 497, 581n
contagion of, 78–92, 496
by cop, 254, 275
defined, 267–69
demographics of, see suicide, demographics of
double, 139–40, 143, 175, 225, 392–93, 395, 404, 418–19, 446, 448, 450, 575n
euthanetic, see euthanasia; right to die
as evidence of mental illness, 173, 178–82, 202, 292, 354, 355–57, 550n
exhibitionism and, 151, 341–42
family history of, 197–98, 199, 200, 470–72, 495, 554n
film portrayals of, 87–88, 90–91, 141, 523
fluctuating risk periods for, 57
homosexuality viewed as form of, 261–62, 558n
as literary subject, 86–87, 116, 140–41, 160–61, 167–68, 175–76, 443–44, 494, 495
in mass media, 79, 81, 82–83, 86–92, 542n–43n
medical professionals’ responses to, 96, 97, 292, 298, 544n
metaphorical forms of, 276–78
methods of, 184, 185, 233–39, 251, 346–47, 438–504, 555n
motivations of, 96, 133–34,
221–32, 356, 431–35, 492
multifaceted causality of, 201–2, 204–6
murder followed by, 90, 140, 225–26
notes found after, 239–43, 295–96, 452, 483, 580n
other self-destructive behaviors vs., see self-destructive behaviors
of parent, 44, 197–98, 472, 495–96, 497–501
performance type of, 245
physician-assisted, see euthanasia, physician-assisted
psychiatric disorders vs., 41, 119, 173, 178–82, 202, 221, 318, 355, 550n
in psychiatric hospitals, 332, 333
psychological autopsies on, 302, 468
in public landmark settings, 143, 340–46, 353, 561n, 567n
rates of, 2, 3, 9, 11, 37–38, 51, 56–57, 141–42, 182–84, 185, 197, 244–51, 252, 307, 314, 347, 426, 539n, 551n
rational, 2, 146–50, 354, 357, 417–18, 419
as revenge, 133–34
as revolutionary act, 402
right-to-die debate on, see euthanasia; right to die
scientific research on, 131, 177–201
as sole option, 2, 50, 227
of terrorists, 1–2, 186, 225, 226
timing factors of, 173, 178, 184–85, 249–50, 297
transformation as motive of, 356
see also suicidality, treatment options for; suicide, demographics of; suicide, historical views of; suicide, surviving family members after; suicide prevention
Suicide, 402–3
suicide, demographics of, 244–78
African Americans, 234–35, 251–58, 263, 557n–58n
age of, 134, 147, 185, 221, 253, 258, 427, 437–38; see also adolescent suicide; elderly, suicides of
of cancer patients, 418
in former Soviet states, 3, 246
for Hispanic Americans, 258–59
homicide rates vs., 252, 558n
homosexuality and, 3, 261–66, 558n
in males vs. females, 38, 39, 43, 95, 185, 221, 250–51, 256, 427, 438, 503, 558n
marital status, 185, 186, 221, 256, 427, 438
methods, 184, 185, 233–36, 251, 347
nationality, 183, 184, 187, 197, 222, 234, 244–48
for Native Americans, 258, 259–61
in primitive societies, 186, 551n
profession, 235, 236, 250–51
psychiatric disorders vs., 119, 355
race, 221, 222, 234–35, 251–61, 427, 438, 557n–58n
religious denomination, 186, 246
rural vs. urban, 3, 177, 185, 186, 187, 248–49, 257
seasonal changes vs., 249–50
social class, 184, 222
social integration factors and, 185, 186, 187, 204, 245, 249, 256, 257, 438
substance abuse vs., 41, 272
of surviving family members, 473, 494–95
systemic underreporting of, 246–47
suicide, historical views of, 129–206
Christian, 131, 151, 152–57, 158, 159, 162, 163, 177, 475
in classical civilizations, 144–57, 186, 550n
by Enlightenment thinkers, 167–72, 174, 177, 181
etymology of, 267–68
as evidence of insanity, 173, 178–82, 550n
ghost beliefs in, 131–33, 134, 144, 155, 467
in Greek culture, 144–48, 156, 159, 186, 233, 267, 365, 443, 550n
in Japan, 137–43
as medical problem, 177–82, 201, 468, 469–72
moral judgments in, 131, 132, 134, 154–57, 161, 165–66, 202, 203–4, 553n
in Old Testament, 151–52, 267
in primitive societies, 131–36
psychoanalytic understanding of, 188–90, 205, 236–37
in Renaissance, 158–74, 366
in Roman civilization, 131, 148–51, 154, 156, 173, 186, 233, 267, 291, 550n
Romanticism and, 174–76
in scientific context, 131, 177–90, 194–96, 306, 561n
sociological approaches in, 177, 182–88, 204
state sanctions and, 131, 136, 138, 139, 141, 147, 150, 155–56, 159, 164–65, 167, 168, 171, 172–73, 203, 466, 467–68, 579n
stigmatization in, 181–82, 467–76
surviving families affected by, 466–75, 579n
on treatments, 179–80, 194–95
Suicide, Le (Durkheim), 89, 185–87, 204, 255
suicide, surviving family members after, 455–536
anniversary dates recognized by, 509, 513, 527, 532
answers sought by, 455, 482–83, 493, 503–5, 506, 507, 533, 580n
in case histories, 455–65
celebrities, 474
children, 497–501
conspiracy of silence maintained by, 493–94
denial responses of, 490, 493–94
dreams of, 483–84, 490, 493, 501, 502
estate forfeitures suffered by, 466, 467–68, 475, 579n
friends’ discomfort with, 476, 520–21
grieving processes of, 481–88, 489–94, 497–99, 531–37
guilt feelings of, 455, 473, 482, 483, 490–92, 495, 504–5, 516, 520, 532
historical stigmatization of, 466–76, 579n
holiday observances of, 505–6, 513, 516, 525
numbers of, 474
parents, 475, 491, 494, 517–21, 532
positive changes experienced by, 534
psychotherapeutic counseling received by, 472–73, 494, 507, 528–29
relief experienced by, 492–93
research on, 473–74
shame experienced by, 455, 467, 468–72, 474, 475–76, 480
siblings, 495
spouses, 455, 465, 477–87, 494, 533
suicide risks of, 473, 477, 485, 494–97, 502, 516
support services organized by, 474, 512–17, 521–26, 533
Suicide (Fedden), 182, 472
Suicide Act (1961), 131, 203, 394, 400
Suicide and Insanity (Strahan), 181, 471
Suicide and the Meaning of Civilization (Masaryk), 183
Suicide and the Soul (Hillman), 227, 356
suicide attempts:
of adolescents, 38–39, 95–97, 438
as communication effort, 96
completed suicides vs., 38–39, 95–97, 353, 438, 474
punishment of, 164, 165
repeat occurrences of, 96–97, 229, 271
transformation effects of, 227
“Suicide Club, The” (Stevenson), 443
Suicide Hall, 341
Suicide in America (Hendin), 234–35, 237
suicide prevention:
acute crisis in, 301
for adolescents, 2, 32, 37, 79, 111–20, 259, 260–61, 543n
biological vulnerability tests in, 197
of Canadian Inuits, 260–61
centers established in, 298–311, 362n
civil liberties issues in, 352–57
crisis hotlines, 9, 37, 142, 281–90, 305, 309–11, 317, 439, 562n–63n
development of, 291–308, 561n, 562n
effectiveness of, 118–20, 306–9, 310–11
federal support of, 298, 303, 304, 307–8, 310, 562n
first-hand grief experience as factor in, 496–97
gun ownership precautions and, 347–48, 568n
historical survivor penalties as, 467–68
in Japan, 142
lay volunteers trained in, 286–87, 290, 302, 309
outreach activities in, 292–93, 300, 301, 439
physical barriers installed for, 342–46, 349
prevalent public support for, 349–50
public education on, 304, 312, 316
public safety policies in promotion of, 342–49
resistance to, 125–26, 292, 316–17, 330
risk assessment in, 301, 313–16, 325, 326, 563n, 565n
in schools, 2, 32, 37, 111–20
services refined in, 309–10
surviving families’ needs addressed in, 472–73
verbal/behavioral clues noted in, 112, 115, 301, 312–13, 316, 504
see als
o suicidality, treatment options for
Suicide Prevention Center (SPC), 282–90, 317, 523
see also Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center
Suicides Anonymous, 522
“Suicide Solution” (Osbourne), 86, 88
suicidology, 304–6, 562n
Summa Theologiae (Thomas Aquinas), 156
support groups, 474, 512–17, 521–26, 533
Supreme Court, U.S., right-to-die cases of, 4, 371, 374, 382, 383
surgeons, 251
surrender, suicide vs., 84, 145
survivor guilt, 497
survivors, see suicide, surviving family members of
Survivors of Suicide (Cain), 473
Sutherland, Kathleen, 387
Sutherland, Peggy, 387–88
suttee, 136, 186
Sweden, suicide rates of, 244–245, 246, 248, 252, 566n
Switzerland:
assisted suicide permitted in, 573n
suicide rate of, 246
Sym, John, 163–64, 269
“Symptomatology and Management of Acute Grief, The” (Lindemann), 488
Szasz, Thomas, 352, 354–55, 356–57
Tacitus, 149
Takashimadaira public housing complex, 567n
Takeyoshi, Ohara, 138
Tale of Two Cities, A (Dickens), 241
Tarquinius Priscus, Lucius, 291
Tartars, 431
technological innovations, death delayed with, 368–75, 415, 431–32, 571n
TeenScreen, 120
television programs, 53–54, 55, 90–91, 542n–43n
Temptation of Saint Anthony, The (Flaubert), 153
terminal illness:
defined, 381
discoveries in treatment of, 416
HIV/AIDS as, 264
pain management in, 440
psychological effects of, 417–18, 429
spiritual value of, 416
terminal sedation, 374
terrorists, 1–2, 186, 225, 226
Tertullian, 153
Tezcatlipoca, 135
Thomas Aquinas, Saint, 156, 171
Thorazine (chlorpromazine), 63, 318–19, 518
Thracian sacrificial suicide, 135
thrift (economic) suicide, 134, 166–67, 431–32, 434–35, 437, 551n
thrill seeking, 274–75, 560n
Thucydides, 145
Tiebout, John, 46
Timon (of Athens), 147
Titanic, 523
Tokyo, Japan, suicide landmarks in, 567n
Tolstoy, Leo, 353
Tomita, Masako, 341
Tondo, Leonardo, 319, 320
Too Young to Die, 504
Totem and Taboo (Freud), 189
Toynbee, Arnold, 455
Traitor Within, 250
tranquilizers, 319, 482
Treatise on Madness, A (Battie), 177–78
tricyclic antidepressants, 319, 320, 321
Tschuktschi, 431
Tshi-speaking peoples, 133
Tuke, D. H., 550n
Tuke (English cleric), 163
21 Delightful Ways of Committing Suicide (Bruller), 573n
November of the Soul Page 96