Book Review: Suicide Health

There are some things that are so catastrophically large that they are impossible to fully describe. And frequently, things that enormous can divide people while bringing others together. Such is the case with 9/11. The September 11th tragedy will be for most Americans the largest event of death in the nation, in their lifetimes. It absolutely shook this nation to its core. And whether you believe it was terrorists, extremists, or governments--everyone agrees that it never should have happened.

Many on that day who were trapped in the towers threw themselves from its heights. These deaths were ruled by the New York Medical Examiner as homicides. But, Professor Thomas Joiner in 2005 wrote a theory, which stated that some of the homicides were actually suicides. The book, The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Attempted and Completed Suicide: Conceptual and Empirical Issues seeks to refute that theory's claim.

This book's senior author is Dr. Fred A. Paniagua, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. In addition to Dr. Paniagua, there are another 3 authors: Sandra A. Black, M. Shayne Gallaway, and Michelle A. Coombs. The book includes a preface describing the backdrop in which this book was written. Following that is an introduction, which establishes the rationale through a critique of the recent status of Professor Joiner's theory.

This authorial team covers six cores to establish its point. The first is a short summary of the three main psychological constructs of Joiner's theory. The second questions Professor Joiner's theory by asking whether or not it is a new theory on suicide. It uses the five theories that Professor Joiner used when writing his own theory, and focuses on the extensive omissions. Following this is a discussion specifically about the deaths, which were classified as homicides by the New York Medical Examiner, which Joiner claimed were suicides. This section is appropriately entitled, "A Theory of Everything," because if Professor Joiner's theory can explain the death of those who jumped from the World Trade Center on 9/11 as suicides, then his theory would not have problems explaining suicidal behavior in all cases in the whole world. The last two sections show the lack of credible support used in Joiner's theory, followed by the inability to test his theory using current methodology and experimental tools.

I would totally recommend this book to anyone who falls under three specific headings. First and foremost, I would like to encourage the family and friends of those who survive the victims of 9/11 to read this important work. Second, I would recommend this to the layman who would like a richer understanding of the "why" behind suicide. And finally, of course, I would recommend this to those pursuing higher education within one of the behavioral sciences.

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