Suicidal Behaviour
- Author:
Wallace McCulloch and
Alistair E. Philip Pergamon Press. ?2.50
The severity of the problem of suicidal behaviour is focused by the fact that ‘in the world every year, the equivalent of the population of a city such as Edinburgh kills itself and the equivalent of the population of London indulges in some form of non-fatal suicidal behaviour’; it thus warrants a wider knowledge of the scientific aspects of the problem, particularly by those providing valuable preventive measures, be they Samaritans, social workers or doctors.
Surprisingly, since the publication of the extremely valuable Penguin on ‘Suicide and Attempted Suicide’ by Stengel (1964) there has not been any publication presenting a vast amount of scientific material in such a readable manner as this book.
The work done at the Poisoning Treatment Centre in Edinburgh by the authors, one of whom is a social worker and the other a clinical psychologist, form the basis of this book and the blend of the two specialities lends an attractive flavour to the presentation of scientific facts and ideas put forward.
In spite of compressing a vast amount of material, the book succeeds in holding the attention of the reader, whether professionally trained or not. Thus, even while commenting on psychological findings the techniques used are explained precisely and clearly.
Since suicidal behaviour is often the overt expression of the strain resulting from difficulties in establishing and maintaining satisfactory inter-personal relationships, the person providing the support should have the necessary insight into the client’s needs as well as of his own strength and limitations.
The client is often in need of long and sustained support and this necessitates proper matching of the client and the therapist as well as the type of therapy. With this in view, the implications for prevention are well analysed in a final chapter. While commending this book, one regrets that a cheaper paperback was not published, as this book warrants a wide audience amongst the caring professions and voluntary agencies.
Rajan Thavasothy
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