Suicide has become an epidemic with despair and loneliness at the core, says this touching, disturbing study.
Journalist and filmmaker Barrat starts with an alarming statistic. Over 45,000 Americans kill themselves each year; suicide causes more deaths than car accidents or homicides. And the number continues to climb. For every person who dies by suicide, there are 10 who try but fail, an astonishing figure. Barrat has covered this territory before; the book draws on a documentary he made for PBS in 2022. He delves into the reasons for suicide, finding that poverty, substance abuse, financial uncertainty, and loneliness are key drivers. Older white men in rural America are the group most at risk, although Barrat also looks at suicide among teens and veterans and in Black communities. Access to the means of suicide, especially firearms, is a key component. Suicide numbers spike after media coverage of a celebrity suicide, such as that of comedian Robin Williams. It sometimes runs in families, suggesting a possible genetic connection. Barrat devotes a large section of the book to suicide prevention, looking at some of the organizations working in the field. Self-isolation and depression are worrying signs, and giving away possessions is an important red flag. In many cases, a visit from a friend, a family member, or even a stranger with a sympathetic ear can make a huge difference, offering a crucial sense of connection. However, professional help is usually part of the long-term solution. Some of the material here is inspiring, some takes excursions into darkness, but Barrat tackles both aspects of his subject with empathy and intelligence, relating human stories that need to be told.
An important, well-considered contribution to a critical topic.
Facing Suicide: Understanding Why People Kill Themselves and How We Can Stop Them by James Barrat will be published in the English language by Avery Books in North America in September 2024.
James Barrat is the journalist and documentary filmmaker behind this book’s PBS companion film, entitled Facing Suicide and the author of Our Final Invention: Artificial Intelligence and the End of the Human Era. and the forthcoming The Intelligence Explosion (St. Martin’s Press). Time Magazine named him one of “5 Very Smart People Who Think Artificial Intelligence Could Bring the Apocalypse.”