Book reviews: New Approaches to Preventing Suicide: A Manual for Practitioners

New Approaches to Preventing Suicide: A Manual for
Practitioners
Edited by David Duffy & Tony Ryan, Jessica Kingsley
ISBN 1843102218, £19.95

STAR RATING: 4/5

Although there is plenty of literature available on this issue,
this text should serve students, educationalists and practitioners
well, writes Tim Turner.

What marks out this text from others on suicide is the breadth of
contexts considered in relation to the wider question of suicide.
For example, there are useful sections on prisons, primary care and
in-patient settings, while crucial social factors such as age,
ethnicity and gender are also looked at. A range of contributors
has given the text a richness of experience, although it would have
benefited from the inclusion of more user perspectives.

The broad-brush approach of this manual makes those involved in
mental health education the most likely beneficiaries, particularly
as useful case examples have been included to bring important
issues to life. The decision to scratch the surface of several
niche areas has led to a compromise on depth. As a result,
experienced practitioners may find few of the “new approaches” to
suicide reduction promised in the book’s title.

Tim Turner is senior lecturer in mental health nursing,
Coventry University