Katie's Diary: Unlocking the Mystery of a Suicide

by David Lester (Editor)

Katie's Diary is a unique analysis of the diary left behind by a young woman who has committed suicide. As compared to suicide notes, which are typically brief, Katie's diary consists of five separate books, an opportunity to look into the mind of a suicide from a source of data that is extraordinarily rare. Commenting on the diary are professionals in the fields of suicidology, linguistics, women's studies, Jungian analysis and voice therapy, among others. Suicidal themes that prevail in her writing are discussed, as well as potential treatment methods in the hopes that the study will contribute to suicide prevention.

Genres: Psychology, Nonfiction, Mental Illness

226 pages, Paperback

First published October 22, 2003

Reviews

[Ilze · Rating 4 out of 5]

Suicide is a sensitive subject. Not only to those who've lost someone to suicide, but also to those who've attempted it. And it's something that suicides must talk about, just because that is all we can think about.

In this book you'll find the diary of Katie (not her real name) - it is authentic, real-life stuff. What makes it so interested is that psychologists from different fields comment on it. You've got someone like Prof James Pennebaker (author of Writing to Heal ) who does a word analysis, a Jungian psychologist and Lester himself (amongst others) who is an expert on suicide. Some of the questions they ask is: Could Katie's suicide have been prevented? Did writing per se help her around the issues she was facing? etc. etc.

This is one up on a diary such as Sylvia Plath's (whose last diary was destroyed by Ted Hughes) or Virginia Woolf, both of whom don't face the issues the way Katie does. Merely the fact that professionals analyse it, fascinates me (and yes, they do compare this work with Anne Sexton and Sylvia Plath, on page 59 of the edition I read).

[Meaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excerpts from the real diary a troubled young woman kept in the year prior to her suicide. Various mental health professionals analyze the diary, each offering their opinion as to what was wrong with "Katie" (a pseudonym), what lead her to take her life and how her suicide could have been prevented.

This book is not a page-turner and not designed for the layman, but rather professionals and in particular psychotherapists. It was reasonably readable and understandable for me, but if you don't know a fair amount about psychology and different methods of therapy, you may lose your way in it. You could compare Katie's Diary with The Inner World of a Suicidal Youth, which also analyzes the diary of a young woman who committed suicide at about the same age Katie did. I liked Katie's Diary better, though, in large part because Katie was more likable than Electra.

[Erica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book absolutely terrified me. It took me forever to finish it... I think my copy is now overdue at the university library by 2 months.

I'm going to write a review later when my head is clear!