Cry of Pain: Understanding Suicide and Self-Harm

by J. Mark G. Williams

Any person grieving for someone who has committed suicide copes with a question that can never be answered: Why? In this enlightening book, directed at the lay person and professional alike, a clinical psychologist draws on the latest research to explore suicide from all aspects: its history, changing sociological patterns, psychiatric and psychological factors, and moral issues. This book is a compassionate and balanced attempt to bring some understanding to the painful feelings that lead to such an extreme act -- without judging, generalizing, or misreading the messages of suicidal behavior.

Genres: Nonfiction, Mental Health, Psychology, Psychiatry

257 pages, Paperback

First published May 29, 1998

About the author

J. Mark G. Williams, D Phil, is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Wellcome Principal Research Fellow at the University of Oxford. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Psychiatry and the Department of Experimental Psychology. He has held previous posts at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, the Medical Research Council Applied Psychology Unit (now Cognition and Brain Sciences Unit) in Cambridge and the University of Wales Bangor, where he founded the Institute for Medical and Social Care Research and the Centre for Mindfulness Research and Practice. He is a Fellow of the British Psychological Society, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the British Academy. He was educated at Stockton Grammar School, Stockton-on-Tees, and at the University of Oxford.

His research is concerned with psychological models and treatment of depression and suicidal behaviour, particularly the application of experimental cognitive psychology to understanding the processes that increase risk of suicidal behaviour in depression. With colleagues John D. Teasdale (Cambridge) and Zindel Segal (Toronto) he developed Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for prevention of relapse and recurrence in depression, and two RCTs have now found that MBCT halves the recurrence rate in those who have suffered three or more previous episodes of major depression. His current research focuses on whether a similar approach can help prevent suicidal ideation and behaviour. His articles also focus on how autobiographical memory biases and deficits affect current and future vulnerability.

Source: Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Charli Mnd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un livre lu et annoté sur les routes de l’Europe centrale au moment de ma grosse
dépression de 2019, avec des passages soulignés et annotés pour expliquer le suicide que
je préparais. Il résonnait dans tout ce que je ressentais, et me paraissait être très
Pragmatique sur ma souffrance et ma mort.

[Kendall · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book in preparation for an analytical literature review for my Social Problems course, and I was pleasantly surprised by my level of curiosity as I flipped the pages. This book is an insightful, descriptive and educational insight into the world of suicide and the implications of self-harm. EVERYONE WHO KNOWS SOMEONE WITH DEPRESSION SHOULD READ THIS BOOK! I learned more than I even thought I could, and feel even more confident helping friends who struggle with the various topics covered in this book. Mental health is a HUGE social problem, yet there is LITTLE known by most people on the subject. Stay informed folks. 🤘🏻

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant

[Carrie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bored me to tears.