What does it feel like to want to kill yourself ? Despite the prevalence of suicide in the developed world, it's a question most of us fail to ask. On hearing news of a suicide we are devastated, but overwhelmingly we feel disbelief. We distance ourselves with assurances that it's the final act of a mentally ill "other". In A Veery Human Ending, research psychologist Jesse Bering lifts the lid on this taboo subject, examining the suicidal mindset from the inside out to reveal the subtle tricks the mind can play when we're easy emotional prey.
Combining cutting-edge research with investigative journalism and first-person testimony, Bering raises challenging questions to test our contradictory superstitions about the act itself. Personal, accessible, yet scientifically sound, this remarkable book offers a penetrating analysis of why we are the only species on earth that deliberately ends its own life and aims to demystify a perennial subject that knows no cultural or demographic boundaries.
What does it feel like to want to kill yourself ? Despite the prevalence of suicide in the developed world, it's a question most of us fail to ask. On hearing news of a suicide we are devastated, but overwhelmingly we feel disbelief. We distance ourselves with assurances that it's the final act of a mentally ill "other". In A Veery Human Ending, research psychologist Jesse Bering lifts the lid on this taboo subject, examining the suicidal mindset from the inside out to reveal the subtle tricks the mind can play when we're easy emotional prey.
Combining cutting-edge research with investigative journalism and first-person testimony, Bering raises challenging questions to test our contradictory superstitions about the act itself. Personal, accessible, yet scientifically sound, this remarkable book offers a penetrating analysis of why we are the only species on earth that deliberately ends its own life and aims to demystify a perennial subject that knows no cultural or demographic boundaries.
