Synopses & Reviews
Whether you are struggling with fresh grief at a loved one's death by suicide or your loss happened years ago, you should know that you are not alone. 5 million Americans are affected?directly or indirectly?by this tragedy each year. And it sends us on a lifelong search for answers, both to the practical questions and the deepest question of all: Why? In this definitive guide book, Michael F. Myers, MD, a leading psychiatrist, and Carla Fine, author of the acclaimed No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One, combine their perspectives as a physician and a survivor to offer compassionate and practical advice to anyone affected by suicide. BACKCOVER: Advance Praise for Touched by Suicide
?Each year suicide claims tens of thousands of lives, but its victims extend far beyond the annual statistical sum. It is the living, those loved ones left behind to answer the unanswerable and move on with life, who surely are the victims as well. To them, Touched by Suicide will prove a resource of very great worth.?
?Gordon H. Smith, United States Senator
?A rich resource of guidance and support written by survivors with candor and compassion intended for those who have been touched by suicide. This book will be invaluable for those who must face the tragedy of suicide in their lives and those who are in a position to support the healing journey of survivors.?
?Jerry Reed, Executive Director, Suicide Prevention Action Network (SPAN USA)
?This is a remarkable step-by-step manual for living through the profound chaos that suicide leaves in its wake. This compelling, comprehensive, and inspirational book is written not just for survivors, but for all of us who strive to understand and prevent suicide. .. This is a worthy contribution to the literature of suicide and survival.?
?Morton M. Silverman, M.D., Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry, The University of Chicago; Editor-in-Chief, Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
?Touched by Suicide is a floodlit pathway for those tragically thrust into the dark forest of having to survive a loved one's suicide. It is loaded with straight talk and practical insights, compassion and understanding. Myers and Fine deftly meld their personal and professional experiences, aided by compelling first-person accounts, to translate unfathomable pain into hope. This is the most important reference survivors should read.?
?Alan L. Berman, Ph.D., ABPP, Executive director, American Association of Suicidology
Synopsis
Whether you are struggling with fresh grief at a loved one’s death by suicide or your loss happened years ago, you should know that you are not alone. 5 million Americans are affected—directly or indirectly—by this tragedy each year. And it sends us on a lifelong search for answers, both to the practical questions and the deepest question of all: Why? In this definitive guide book, Michael F. Myers, MD, a leading psychiatrist, and Carla Fine, author of the acclaimed No Time to Say Goodbye: Surviving the Suicide of a Loved One, combine their perspectives as a physician and a survivor to offer compassionate and practical advice to anyone affected by suicide.
About the Author
A former member of the Board of Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association, Dr. Michael F. Myers is one of the worlds leading clinicians in the field of suicide. He is currently a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of British Columbia. Carla Fines numerous books include the acclaimed No Time to Say Goodbye, a memoir written in the aftermath of her husbands suicide. She has appeared on national television shows.
Table of Contents
Touched by Suicide Foreword
by Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D.
Introduction
Making Sense of Suicide
Part One
What Happened? The Aftermath of Suicide
1. The Devastation of Suicide
2. Searching for Reasons
Part Two
What Can I Do? Practical Suggestions for Healing
3. Protecting Your Health
4. Keeping Your Family Together
5. Telling Your Children
6. Coping with Specific Circumstances
7. Reaching Out for Support
8. Getting Help from Mental Health Professionals
Part Three
How Can I Go On? Finding Meaning after Suicide
9. Suicide, Religion, and Spirituality
10. Life-Preserving Ingishts into Suicide and Attempted Suicide
11. Erasing the Stigma of Suicide
Conclusion>
Breaking the Silence, Easing the Pain
Appendix A: Resource Directory
Appendix B: Bibliography
Index