Out of the Darkness: Teens Talk about Suicide

By Marion Crook

Book Overview

Teen suicide has long been considered one of society's darkest secrets; the idea of troubled young people driven to take their own lives was a tragedy too horrible to contemplate, let alone talk about openly. But the fact remains that teen suicide is an issue that refuses to go away so long as young people in crisis have nowhere to turn. But now, in this age of frank discussions about bullying, peer pressure, and issues of "difference," there is a growing sense that teen suicide is no longer a taboo subject, and that talking about it can help us to identify and acknowledge the kind of problems that lead teens to make such drastic and tragic decisions.

Based on interviews with teen suicide survivors, -parents, and professionals, Marion Crook sensitively explores all aspects of teen suicide, in particular the -reasons why certain young people are driven to it. The motives are far-ranging, but central to all is a sense of desperation. Despite their dire circumstances, however, many found a way out of the darkness and into adult lives of meaning and worth.

Marion Crook also examines the history of teen suicide in Western and other cultures, as well as what roles parents and schools can play in suicide prevention, and coping strategies for teens in crisis. Out of the Darkness is a book for both teens and adults that breaks the silence surrounding teen suicide, offering hope for those who think there is none.

Marion Crook has spent the last fifteen years actively researching the difficulties teens face, relying on the expertise of the teens themselves. This is her twenty-third published book. She teaches at the university in Surrey, B.C. while continuing to research and write.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1551521415
• ISBN13: 9781551521411
• Release Date: January 2004
• Publisher: Arsenal Pulp Press
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

An insight into a preventable public health problem

Most of the research on youth suicide focuses on clinical profiling but there aren't many studies that reflect the adolescent's own perspective. Even though the book does not pursue qualitative psychological research (say, discourse analysis), it does achieve the goal of "cruising" the reader (parents of teenagers, hopefully) into the heterogeinity that suicidal adolescents conform. As a clinical psychologist I consider Crook's approach very valuable in improving intervention parameters by rescuing and not putting aside what these kids at risk have to say of their own experience. I believe effective psycotherapy with suicidal teens has to actively incorporate not only risk factors and comorbidity but also individual differences, circumstances and resources.