Death Is Not the Answer: Understanding Suicide and the Ways to Prevent It

by Anjali Chhabria

Did you know that India is the world's suicide capital with over 2.6 lakh casesreported every year?But what we know about the causes of suicide lags far behind our knowledge ofmany other life-threatening illnesses, partly because the stigma surroundingsuicidal behaviour has limited society's investment in suicide research.It is said that more than 50 per cent of all those who attempt suicide tellsomeone about their intention. So how do you recognize suicidal symptoms inpeople around you and get help?From insights into the mind of a suicidal patient and understanding why one isdriven to suicide to the right kind of intervention when suicide has beenattempted, and a list of suicide hotlines, this book is an attempt to helpthousands who are questioning the motive of their life. It is just as useful toanyone who has lost a loved one to suicide and is looking for a way to overcomegrief.

275 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 26, 2016

Reviews

[Sankarshan]

The author has extensive experience and the desire to make the topic more approachable and well understood by everyone is evident in the framing of the subject. And while the effort of writing about the topic deserves appreciation, the same cannot be said of the editorial oversight. There are innumerable instances of convoluted sentences - often veering towards how colloquial usage creates confounding English. And quite a number of the chapters/sections could have done with better utilization of fonts to delineate the subject matter from the narrative arc of the back-story. That a small book such as this would receive such shoddy treatment from the publication can only be reasoned in some "rush to market". And lastly, I am not sure if this is already happening, but it would have been nicer if the author was to take advantage of a few of the popular podcast platforms to talk about the topic; her book and her need to write it at this point in time.

[Sumit Srivastava · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was a time when I used to sort the books by percent discount, and bought the ones at maximum discount. This purchase was result of one of those misadventures.

I had thought that I would learn about the trauma people face, at a much more fundamental level. This book was more like... The type of conversation we have as commoners. There were a few places where the author tries to take a logical (if not scientific) approach, but she fails miserably.

There were a number of case studies, mostly talking about how the outside conditions may effect the tendency. However, the fact that all the people in same situation do not become suicidal tells us that there are more basic reasons inbuilt in the people. The author tries at places, but with no logical order.

After toiling with this book for more than 2 months, I am giving up on it after reading about two-thirds of it.



The quality of writing is really poor (maybe, even poorer than this review).

[Sudheendra Fadnis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Believe it or not, India is the suicide capital of the world. Out of every 3 suicides committed in the world, 1 happens in India which is appalling. Kudos to Dr Anjali Chhabria for having penned down such a book of great importance. Suicide is a topic which no one talks about, because there is so much stigma around the topic of mental illness and suicide. Another pathetic fact is that most of the people who commit suicide in India are the youth between the 15-29 age bracket. I am wondering how many lives could have been saved if this book was written 10 years back.

Death is Not the Answer is the most holistic book that I have ever come across on the subject of mental illness and suicide. Anjali has done a great job at explaining the origins of suicidal tendencies in us. In most of the cases, impulsive suicide is rare. Most of the people who commit suicide give clues, which should not go unheard or taken lightly. She starts the book by giving a great historical background of suicide dating back to as much as 2500 years, citing the examples from the scriptures of various religions and history.

The case studies that are given in this book are her own patients' stories.It is frightening to note that even a 6 year old girl disclosed suicidal thoughts during one of the play therapy sessions with her, just because, her elder brother was given more preference by her parents when it comes to milk. It was hair raising to read other stories as well.Ranging from break-ups and dysfunctional family relationships to drug and alcohol abuse this book has it all

Major Depressive disorder is believed to be the major culprit in driving people to commit suicide. But that is not the only one. Various other disorders such as Psychosis;be it Schizophrenia or bipolar, untreated Generalized Anxiety Disorder, PTSD(Post Ttraumatic Stress Disorder), Body Dysmorphic disorder and other personality disorders can also prompt a person to take the drastic step of ending one's life.

The book also talks about the neurobiology of suicide. She talks about the 'suicide circuitry' in the brain.Yes, some are prone to suicide than others . The neurotransmitter serotonin has a great role to play in the committing of suicide. She explains how using the fMRI technology the neuro scientists have observed hyper activity in the medial pre-frontal cortex, which leads to excessive rumination if unchecked can lead to suicide. Also the hippocampus becomes smaller as the neurons die due to severe suicidal depression. She also explains how genetics also plays a role in the suicide. For an instance, a mutation in the SKA2 gene can make one person more vulnerable or susceptible to suicide.

The cognitive triad of worthlessness, helplessness and hopelessness propounded by the great Aaron Beck was very interesting to know. It takes all the 3 aforementioned features to force a person to commit suicide. Also I came to know about the Beck's suicide intent scale. I did not know before that there are questionnaires to assess the risk of suicide in a patient.There are various degrees of risk of suicide ranging from minimal, mild and moderate to severe and extreme.

Medicines are not the only resort for people with suicide tendencies.Cognitive Behavior Therapy, Dialectic Behavior therapy(especially in case of borderline personality) , mindfulness meditation and other forms of counselling are some of the options available to explore, based on the severity of the case. This book is filled with lot of hope for people suffering from mental illness.


On a final note, I want to say that, this book is the need of the hour in India. I wish Dr Anjali Chhabria comes with more books like this. This book is for everybody who want to help their friends or loved one's or themselves even to cope up with the psychological problems. Life is meant to be lived, and a precious life cannot be wasted by committing suicide just because we are going through some storms. Thank you!

[Aryaman · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the news, I'd always see reports of death by suicide and wonder. Why does someone commit suicide? What drives them to the cusp of committing such an action and take their life? The book answered all my questions, as it explored the social, emotional and psychological reasons behind such an extreme step. The book equips readers with the knowledge and the tools to help prevent either oneself or someone they know from committing suicide. Because know this. Life is very beautiful, it does not deserve to be ended with so much cruelty with oneself and the loved ones and friends who are attached to the victim. The victim may die, but they leave behind a sense of guilt for the near and dear ones with which they have to live their entire lives.