Recommended Books
A list of recommended books about suicide, depression and the brain.
Suicide: Survivors A Guide For Those Left Behind
by Adina Wrobleski (click on the book to purchase)
The author wrote, “Depression is a brain disease involving an imbalance of the chemicals that regulate how we think, feel, and behave. Most of us did not know that depression (or other mood disorders) could kill until it happened in our families” (p. 90).
Suicide: Why? 85 Questions and Answers About Suicide
by Adina Wrobleski
This book contains important questions asked by most suicide survivors. The following is one question and answer found in her book: “Is suicide a choice? No” (p. 41).
The Peace of Mind Prescription: An Authoritative Guide to Finding the Most Effective Treatment for Anxiety and Depression
by Dennis S. Charney, M.D., Charles B. Nemeroff, M.D., Ph.D.
This book may be purchased at Barnes and Noble. It is an excellent book with the exception of some language. The authors referred to those who died by suicide as ‘committed suicide.’ I strongly disagree with this language; however, the information contained in the book is very beneficial. This book may be helpful for anyone seeking a competent psychiatrist to help someone with a mood disorder.
The Shack
by William P. Young
This is a religious fiction book that describes a man’s great sadness. It’s not about suicide, but you will be able to substitute what happened to this man’s daughter with the loss of your loved one. The book is controversial and unorthodox. The author tries to explain in human terms God’s view toward us and how He operates. I recommend this book to those people who have spiritual concerns about their loved one.
Night Falls Fast
by Dr. Kay Redfield Jamison
Dr. Jamison, a psychiatrist who has struggled with bipolar depression, wrote the following concerning the suicidal mind, “In short, when people are suicidal, their thinking is paralyzed, their options appear spare or nonexistent, their mood is despairing, and hopelessness permeates their entire mental domain. The future cannot be separated from the present, and the present is painful beyond solace” (p. 93).
She also wrote about her personal relationships and stated, “No amount of love from or for other people – and there was a lot – could help. No advantage of a caring family and fabulous job was enough to overcome the pain and hopelessness I felt; no passionate or romantic love, however strong, could make a difference. Nothing alive and warm could make its way in through my carapace” (p. 291).
Most people don’t understand that when a person dies by suicide, they are ending their unbearable psychological/physical pain. It is not personal toward anyone they love. As a matter of fact, Dr. Jamison made the comment, “I believed-incontestably-that my family, friends, and patients would be better off without me” (p. 291).
