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Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind | 
 enlarge | Author: Edwin S. Shneidman
Creator: Judy Collins
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
Category: Book
List Price: $19.95
Buy New: $9.57
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Avg. Customer Rating:  4 reviews
Sales Rank: 33091
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 208
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 9.4 x 6.4 x 0.8
ISBN: 0195172736
Dewey Decimal Number: 616.85844509
EAN: 9780195172737
ASIN: 0195172736
Publication Date: February 26, 2004
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Condition: New book in gift-giving condition! 200 Available copies. Same exact book as Amazon but at a reduced cost!
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Product Description
Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind is a uniquely intensive psychological analysis of a suicidal mind. In this poignant scientific study, Edwin S. Shneidman, a founder of the field of suicidology, assembles an extraordinary cast of eight renowned experts to analyze the suicidal materials, including a ten-page suicide note, given to him by a distraught mother looking for insights into her son's tragic death. The psychological autopsy centers on the interviews conducted by Shneidman with Arthur's mother, father, brother, sister, best friend, ex-wife, girlfriend, psychotherapist, and attending physician.
To gain some understanding of this man's intense psychological pain and to examine what may have been done to save his tortured life, Shneidman approached the top suicide experts in the country to analyze the note and interviews: Morton Silverman, Robert E. Litman, Jerome Motto, Norman L. Farberow, John T. Maltsberger, Ronald Maris, David Rudd, and Avery D. Weisman. Each of the eight experts offers a unique perspective on Arthur's tragic fate, and the sum of their conclusions constitutes an extraordinary psychological autopsy.
This book is the first of its kind and a remarkable contribution to the study of suicide. Mental health professionals, students of human nature, and persons whose lives have been touched by this merciless topic will be mesmerized and enlightened by this unique volume. An epistemological tour de force, it will speak to anyone who is concerned with human self-destruction.
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| Customer Reviews:
Very good book with lots of info...... July 9, 2004
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
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.
 Excellent book!!! June 20, 2004
2 out of 10 found this review helpful
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.
"passing on" a review April 28, 2004
5 out of 9 found this review helpful
"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)
After the Autopsy, Cause of Death is Still Suicide... Sadly April 4, 2004
17 out of 18 found this review helpful
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.
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