In 2001, 30,622 persons ended their own lives in the United States; in 2002, 248,992 persons were treated at medical facilities after attempting suicide (U.S. Center for Disease Control statistics). It is unknown how many deaths classified as accidental were, in fact, suicides.

Our culture generally disapproves of suicide, based on Judeo-Christian values. Other cultures have felt differently; committing seppuku in medieval Japan was an honorable way for a samurai warrior to die; in many European countries today there is a more relaxed attitude towards assisted suicide than in the United States.

Suicides often follow painful and troubled periods in the person’s life. A complex legacy of guilt, self-blame, anger and remorse may be left among those who were close to the person who killed himself.

Grieving the loss of a loved one who has committed suicide is often complicated, with feelings of sorrow and loss intermixed with anger at the person who chose to end his life.

Many suicides are preventable; many are not. If a person is truly determined to take his or her own life, no one can prevent it.

The books listed below offer insights into the path towards suicide, methods of prevention and understanding, guides to grieving the death of a suicide, and memoirs of loved ones dealing with the legacy of suicide.

See also: Depression; Bipolar Disorder; Grief; Spirituality