Suicide and Homicide-Suicide Among Police - Softcover

Leenaars, Antoon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0415784727 ISBN 13: 9780415784726

Publisher: Routledge, 2017

Synopsis

The goal of this book is to fully explore what the author refers to as 'the near epidemic levels of suicide and homicide-suicide' among law enforcement officers, and ultimately to offer recommendations and best practices with which to better address the problem.  The book begins by discussing suicide in some depth, for one has to know suicide, unequivocally, to understand a suicidal or homicidal-suicidal officer. Suicide and homicide-suicide are complex, multi-determined events - the result of an interplay of individual, relational, social, cultural and environmental factors. The complexity of causation necessitates a parallel complexity of knowledge. There are at least two avenues to understanding: the nomothetic (general) approach, which deals with generalizations using empirical, statistical and demographic methods or techniques; and the idiographic (specific) approach, which typically involves the intense study of individuals. This book explores both. Attempting to be mindful of the needs of the office on the street, the mental health provider, the administrator, the forensic specialist, and the survivors of these needless tragedies, the belief is that by amalgamating the concerns of a diverse audience, we can meet the challenge of identifying at-risk individuals and situations, and saving lives.

About this title

From the Inside Flap:

Working with Dr. Leenaars gave me valuable insight into the underlying causes of homicide and suicide. From the psychological autopsy to the clinical terms of reference, I believe that any police officer would benefit from reading this book." —Detective David Gilmore, London Police Service "This book is an important contribution to the history of suicide and police. Dr. Leenaars provides a thorough examination of a sensitive and often stigmatized phenomenon. His text is a required addition to the bookshelves of police administrators, police crisis negotiators, and mental health professionals who work with law enforcement." —Peter Collins, M.D., F.R.C.P(C), Behavioural Sciences & Analysis Services, Investigation & Support Bureau, Ontario Provincial Police, Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Toronto "In the tradition of Gregory Zilboorg and Paul Friedman's pioneering study of the wave of police suicides in New York City in the 1930s, Antoon Leenaars's Suicide and Homicide Among Police establishes a new benchmark in this area of suicide study. By linking police suicides to homicide-suicides involving police, by making recommendations for addressing these problems at every stage in their history, and by grounding his clinical interpretations in theory, Leenaars advances both the clinical and theoretical areas of the field of suicidology. In consequence, this book is essential reading for suicidologists who do research on suicide and homicide-suicide, clinicians who work with suicidal patients, and professionals in psychological services departments and employee assistance programs in police departments around the world. It is, in an overused, but in this case supremely justified phrase, a major contribution to the field." —Jack Kamerman, Ph.D., Professor, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, Kean University "Dr. Leenaars' book is an important and critical contribution to the literature on police suicide. The added discussion of violence directed outward reveals another important dimension to understanding suicide risk issues, particularly for a profession sanctioned to use deadly force. The case studies and, in particular, the coverage of the tragically historic New York Police Department suicide cluster from the late 1930s make this book a must read. This unfortunate history has already repeated itself in New York and elsewhere, and the extracted lessons have important implications for clinicians, policymakers, evaluators, fellow police officers, and others interested in this topic." —Kris Mohandie, Ph.D., Police and Forensic Psychologist

About the Author:

Dr. Antoon A. Leenaars., is a psychologist in private practice in mental health and public health, Windsor, ON, Canada. He is the first Past President of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention (CASP), and a Past President of the American Association of Suicidology (AAS). He has published 11 books, including Psychotherapy with Suicidal People (2004), and was the founding Editor-in-Chief of Archives of Suicide Research, the official journal of the International Academy for Suicide Research (IASR). He has consulted for the World Health Organization (WHO), and has provided forensic services on cases of wrongful death, suicide, homicide, and homicide-suicide for police services and legal institutions.

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 0415784727
• ISBN 13: 9780415784726
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 216