Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind

<em>Autopsy of a Suicidal Mind</em> is a uniquely intensive psychological analysis of a suicidal mind. In this poignant scientific study Edwin S. Shneidman a founder of the field of suicidology assembles an extraordinary cast of eight renowned experts to analyze the suicidal materials including a ten-page suicide note given to him by a distraught mother looking for insights into her son's tragic death. The psychological autopsy centers on the interviews conducted by Shneidman with Arthur's mother father brother sister best friend ex-wife girlfriend psychotherapist and attending physician. <p/>To gain some understanding of this man's intense psychological pain and to examine what may have been done to save his tortured life Shneidman approached the top suicide experts in the country to analyze the note and interviews: Morton Silverman Robert E. Litman Jerome Motto Norman L. Farberow John T. Maltsberger Ronald Maris David Rudd and Avery D. Weisman. Each of the eight experts offers a unique perspective on Arthur's tragic fate and the sum of their conclusions constitutes an extraordinary psychological autopsy. <p/>This book is the first of its kind and a remarkable contribution to the study of suicide. Mental health professionals students of human nature and persons whose lives have been touched by this merciless topic will be mesmerized and enlightened by this unique volume. An epistemological <em>tour de force</em> it will speak to anyone who is concerned with human self-destruction.