Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

Foundations. Introduction to suicidology -- The theoretical construction of suicidology -- Data, research, assessment. Grounding suicidology in empirical evidence -- Risk factors and risk assessment: measurement -- Sociodemographic issues. Age, lifespan, and suicidal careers -- Sex, gender, and marital status: a phallocentric focus -- Social relations, work, and the economy: social versus individual facts -- International variation, ethnicity, and race in suicide -- Who makes suicide attempts, how , and what do suicide notes say about them? -- Major mental disorders, biology, neurobiology. Mental disorder: the most important suicide risk factor? -- Major depression: undiagnosed and untreated -- Bipolar disorder: a suicidogenic cycle of despair -- Schizophrenia: bizarre and psychotic suicides -- Personality disorders: borderline, antisocial, and obsessive- compulsive personalities -- alcoholism and other substance abuse: the second most important suicide risk factor -- Biology, genetics, and neurobiology: suicidal biogenics of the brain -- Religion, culture, history, ethics. God, the afterlife, religion, and culture -- Suicide in history and art: How did suicide evolve? -- Ethical issues, euthanasia, and rational suicide: Is suicide ever the right thing to do? -- Special topics. Suicide in the military: war, aggression, and PTSD -- Murder-suicide: Why take someone with you? -- Jail and prison suicides: confinement, rage, and target reduction -- Treatment and prevention. Treatment and intervention I. Pharmacology: What are we going to do about suicide? -- Treatment and intervention. Psychotherapy: What are we going to do about suicide? -- Prevention: Can suicides be stopped or reduced? -- Postvention and survivors: Death may solve the suicide's problems, but what about those left behind? -- Forensic suicidology: a tort is the oldest antidepressant -- Summary and conclusions. What have we learned?