Customer Reviews

The Suicide Survivor's Handbook

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the first book I have read about suicide since my sister's suicide about 5-6 weeks ago. Just a warning to others that Carlson's book is far from a generalist's view on suicide. There is a heavy concentration on identifying depression in youths and adolescents as a way to stem potential suicide risk. As a result, I ended up breezing through several sections that I just didn't find relevant. Other major concentrations in the book discuss parent/child relationships though for very young and adolescent children but again, not too relevant to my situation.

I first read this book about 4 years ago, and since then have gone back to look at passages that were particularly helpful to people struggling with the aftershock of suicide.

The title may be a bit misleading; although it's about suicide, it's also applicable to any death that a person may be dealing with. Carlson's book addresses not only grief and anxieties associated with suicide, but also the little details we don't think of until we really need them: What do you say to a person in grief; how do you handle anniversaries and special occasions when someone is surviving a loss, etc.

I found this book helpful and enlightening, especially knowing that Carlson learned all these details through experiencing a significant loss in her family through suicide. She writes not only from experience, but also from her heart. Technical how-to's are a dime a dozen. This one's different.