Synopsis
Roughly one million people worldwide die annually by suicide, and suicide attempts outnumber the number of actual deaths by a ratio of 25:1. And, those people who attempted suicide are considered a high risk for suicide in the future. Editor McKeon (public health advisor, suicide prevention) explores the research of the past two decades that has provided empirically-supported treatment methods and shares them with clinicians who conduct interventions and provide treatment. The book also addresses obstacles typically found in treating patients who are at a high risk for suicide. The book does not include an index. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Review
All clinical psychologists should
read and master the contents of Suicidal Behavior. They will be richly rewarded, and lives may be saved. --Marc Hillbrand in PsycCRITIQUES, Vol. 54, (29), 2009
Books describing theory and research about suicide are plentiful, but guidebooks providing clinicians with specific, useful counsel on working with suicidal individuals are rare. Richard McKeon has written just such a volume. Suicidal Behavior is a scholarly yet practical manual for mental health service providers of all stripes. It is a remarkably clear and accessible volume, concise yet broad in scope and grounded in solid, current empirical evidence. It will be valued by clinicians at all levels of experience, from trainee to seasoned therapist ---- --Thomas E. Ellis, PsyD, ABPP, Professor, Menninger Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Baylor College of Medicine and Associate Director of Psychology, The Menninger Clinic, Houston,TX
We are entering a no nonsense period of suicidological theorizing and practice, with a substantial emphasis on empirical roots. In these exciting times, Richard McKeon is an indispensable intellectual guide. I was thrilled to read his Suicidal Behavior which spells out, kurz und klar, an easily digestible point of view as to what suicide really is. Get this book! --Edwin S. Shneidman, PhD, Professor of Thanatology Emeritus UCLA and Founder of the American Association of Suicidology
Summarizing the clinical and scholarly literature on suicidal behavior in fewer than 100 pages is a daunting task. This challenging topic requires accurately portraying the dense web of issues that underlie suicidality. Richard McKeon's 'Suicidal Behavior' succeeds at what would seem to be an impossible task: making the complex clear, leaving nothing important out, and delivering a volume that is well written, thoughtfully organized, and enhanced by vignettes and clinical pearls… 'Suicidal Behavior' is divided into four sections. The first focuses on describing suicidal behavior and includes a discussion of definitional issues. A section on theories and models follows. Section 3 aptly combines risk assessment and treatment planning, eloquently illustrating the connection between the two. Finally, the largest section of the volume is devoted to treatment. In choosing to devote most of his text to treatment, McKeon avoids a common problem in past books on this topic, namely overemphasizing assessment and crisis management at the expense of treatment. He readily acknowledges a limitation of the literature on the psychotherapy of suicidal individuals: There are few clinical trials of interventions aimed at preventing suicides, and effectiveness studies are largely lacking… McKeon's style is refreshingly engaging. He uses brief clinical vignettes effectively to illustrate points, as well as clinical pearls that provide the reader with concrete examples of how to address specific challenges… Berman and his colleagues have convincingly argued that the competent practice of psychotherapy requires solid foundational training in the assessment and management of suicidal behavior, ongoing continuing education on suicidality, and supervision and consultation (Maris, Berman, Silverman, & Bongar, 2000). All clinical psychologists should read and master the contents of Suicidal Behavior. They will be richly rewarded, and lives may be saved. --Marc Hillbrand, PhD, in PsycCRITIQUES, vol. 54, July 2009
Quite simply, this is one of the most essential books you will read this year.
Very rarely are books must read, but this is one. --Nicholas Greco IV, MS, BCETS, CATSM(College of Lake County) in Doody's Listings and Reviews of Your Books, August 2009
[...] Each sentence [of this book] carefully crafted to contain meaningful content that will resonate with nearly every mental health clinician. This text is remarkably concise yet comprehensive, and the language is vivid. [...] [It] is replete with essential information that needs to be noted and digested [...]. For the seasoned clinician, the content will be validating. To further emphasize key points, useful schematics and tables are included as well as bold margin notes and clinical vignettes. All of these features enhance the use of the text as a reference. --Pamela K. Greene, PhD, RN, Senior Vice President of Patient Care Services and Chief Nursing Officer, The Menninger Clinic, Assistant Professor, Baylor College of Medicine, in Bulletin of the Menninger Clinic, Vol. 75, 2011
For anyone engaged in mental health care, Dr McKeon's book is a welcome handy resource. It is a well-written short book that would quickly guide a busy practitioner. [...] Dr McKeon [...] has poured a lot of relevant and practical information for the busy clinician into this volume. It is a well referenced book, and I believe it will serve as a reliable "GPS" in the clinical trenches [...]. --Rudra Prakash, MD, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Veterans Administration, Nashville, Tennessee, in Journal of Clinical Psychiatry,Vol. 72, 2011
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