Life under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do About Them

by Anna S. Mueller, Seth Abrutyn

A rare study that transforms our understanding of why youth die by suicide, why youth suicide clusters happen, and how to stop them

Youth suicide clusters have deeply unsettled communities in recent years. While clusters have been widely documented in the media, too little is known about why youth die by suicide, why youth suicide clusters happen, and how to stop them both.

In Life under Pressure, Anna S. Mueller and Seth Abrutyn investigate the social roots of youth suicide and why certain places weather disproportionate incidents of adolescent suicides and suicide clusters. Through close examination of kids' lives in a community repeatedly rocked by youth suicide clusters, Mueller and Abrutyn reveal how the social worlds that youth inhabit and the various messages they learn in those spaces--about who they are supposed to be, mental illness, and help-seeking--shape their feelings about themselves and in turn their risk of suicide. With great empathy, Mueller and Abrutyn also identify the moments when adults unintentionally fail kids by not talking to them about suicide, teaching them how to seek help, or helping them grieve.

Through stories of survival, resilience, and even rebellion, Mueller and Abrutyn show how social environments can cause suicide and how they can be changed to help kids discover a life worth living. By revealing what it is like to live and die in one community, Life under Pressure offers tangible solutions to one of the twenty-first century's most tragic public health problems.

Genres: Sociology, Psychology, Nonfiction, Audiobook

264 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 6, 2024

Reviews

[Dante · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was led to this book by Malcolm Gladwell and his REVENGE OF THE TIPPING POINT. This is a profoundly eye-opening book, and should be a “must-read” for parents (who should read it before their children reach a double-digit age).

[Nick · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a good book. The most striking image in the title came from an interview with a student who described a desk of another student who recently died by suicide sitting empty and unmoved for a month after the event. A classroom full of kids were forced to look at this desk and no one in charge noticed.

The above event is symbolic of the greater issue that the book brings to light. An entire community of adults who aren't thinking about the lived experience of their children, and who only seem to care about the economic success of these kids. What they failed to see is childhood as a period of life that's not solely about becoming an adult, it's also a lived experience for kids and they deserve to spend that time on more than material concerns.

On the topic of suicide and suicide clusters the subject material isn't overly complex, but the authors nailed it. As a parent I was less interested in this aspect of the book, and more about the conditions more generally that lead adolescents to suicide. On that front the title was definitely a wake up call and painted a very vivid picture of the kind of childhood parents should be offering their kids.

Many thanks to the authors for getting this out there.

[Robert Bogue]

What causes suicide clusters to form? That’s the fundamental question behind Life Under Pressure: The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do About Them. The book follows a community known by the pseudonym of “Poplar Grove.” It recounts stories and quotes from interviews to understand what has made Poplar Grove such a hot spot for youth suicide – and what can be done about it.

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[Becca Calish · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was incredibly validating to read coming from the so-called “poplar grove” that this book is based off of. while most grovians considered the insurmountable pressure (and subsequent suicides) to be normal, a group of mental health leaders challenged the status quo and ultimately reversed the stigma in the community.

[Lauren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very important topic that I care a lot about.

[Michael Grim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative book dealing with a very difficult subject matter. Would recommend for all parents, particularly those who are raising adolescents.

[Karen Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very repetitive. Same information over and over.

[Richard Lehingrat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poplar Grove must be named after a carousal the way the book goes round and round repeating the same points. **

[AP · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very painful & difficult to read about youth suicide clusters.

[Emily Salisbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very insightful look at suicide risk factors and prevention. Somewhat repetitive, but worthwhile.

[Dami Ajibade · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you for your work, and also to those vulnerable enough to share their experiences with you. I’ve taken away so much from this book.