Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide (Kindle Edition)

About the Course:

Dr. Jamison has studied manic-depressive illness and suicide both professionally—and personally. She first planned her own suicide at 17; she attempted to carry it out at 28. Now professor of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, she explores the complex psychology of suicide, especially in people younger than 40: why it occurs, why it is one of our most significant health problems, and how it can be prevented. Dr. Jamison discusses manic-depression, suicide in different cultures and eras, suicide notes (they “promise more than they deliver”), methods, preventive treatments, and the devastating effects on loved ones. She explores what type of person commits suicide, and why, and when. She illustrates her points with detailed anecdotes about people who have attempted or committed suicide, some famous, some ordinary, many of them young. Not easy reading, either in subject or style, but you’ll understand suicide better and be jolted by the intensity of depression that drives young people to it.

Publication Date:

2011

Course Material Author

Course Creator

Course Objectives:

1. Discuss historical trends in suicide and attitudes towards suicide.

2. Cite case examples of individuals whose lives illustrate the tragic consequences of suicide attempts and successes

3. Enhance your ability to provide supportive services to families affected by suicide

4. Idenitfy medications used to treat depression and manic-depressive disorder.

5. Explain why different methods of suicide are more common in certain areas.