Casebook Suicide and Suicide Prevention: Twelve Suicide Attempts Analyzed by Action Theory

Description

A young woman is abandoned by her boyfriend, an older man retires and feels worthless and lonely, a young man learns that his wife is having an extramarital affair. They all see suicide as the only solution. Usually, after a suicide attempt, people are treated in a hospital, where professionals try to work out the underlying psychiatric illness. Ladislav Valach and Annette Reissfelder, however, argue that suicide is not an illness but an action. Since this understanding is based on a high regard for everyday accounts of one's own experiences, the suicidal persons are given the stage in this book. The textbook presents twelve different cases after a suicide attempt. In the analysis of the conversations, attention is paid to the theory of action in everyday life. By presenting the long-term, medium-term and short-term concerns of the patients or the actions in the stories, practitioners gain a detailed insight into the underlying causes of the suicidal act and its treatment. Acknowledgment Contents Introduction Part I: Suicide: Conceptual Considerations 1: Suicide and Suicide Attempt 1.1 What Is Suicide or Suicide Attempt? 1.2 Suicide as an Action 1.3 Suicide Is an Action in a Project and a Long Term Career 1.4 Suicide Is Socially Embedded 1.5 Suicide Can Be Consciously Prepared or Spontaneous 1.6 Suicide Is a “Damaged”, Defective Action 1.7 What Is the Purpose of Seeing Suicide as an Action? 1.8 Talking to a Patient After a Suicide Attempt 1.9 The Inner Experience in an Action 1.10 Suicide Prevention as a Joint Project Part II: Suicide Cases 2: Introduction to the Suicide Cases 3: Case 1 3.1 Suicide Story: Ms. Huber, Who Wants to Please Everyone 3.2 Suicide Analysis: Britta Huber “I Can’t Take It Anymore…” 3.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 3.2.1.1 Long-Term Concerns and Medium-Term (‘Projects’) Concerns 3.2.1.2 Short-Term Actions in Medium-Term Concerns 3.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 3.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 3.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 3.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 3.2.6 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 3.2.7 The Young Woman’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 3.2.8 The Self-Confrontation Interview 4: Case 2 4.1 Suicide Story: Mrs. Meier in a Vicious Circle 4.2 Suicide Analysis: Mrs. Meier “I Can’t Imagine Life Without Him…” 4.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 4.2.1.1 Medium-Term (‘Projects’) and Long-Term Concerns 4.2.1.2 Actions in the Suicide Project Suicidal Action Patient (P); Husband (E) 4.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 4.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 4.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 4.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 4.2.6 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 4.2.7 Mrs. Meier’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 4.2.8 The Self-Confrontation Interview 5: Case 3 5.1 Suicide Story: Ms. Widmer, Who Nobody Listens to 5.2 Suicide Analysis: Ms. Widmer: I Simply Asked Myself About the Meaning of My Life 5.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 5.2.1.1 Medium-Term (‘Projects’) and Long-Term Concerns 5.2.1.2 Long-Term Concerns 5.2.1.3 Short-Term Actions in the Conflict Project After the Suicide Action, Friend, Patient (P) 5.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 5.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 5.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 5.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 5.2.6 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 5.2.7 Ms. Widmer’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 5.2.8 The Self-Confrontation Interview 6: Case 4 6.1 Suicide Story: Anna, Who Is Disgusted with Herself 6.2 Suicide Analysis: It Was Mainly Disgust with Myself 6.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 6.2.1.1 Medium-Term (‘Projects’) and Long-Term Concerns 6.2.1.2 Short-Term Actions in the Suicide Project 6.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 6.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 6.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 6.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 6.2.6 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 6.2.7 The Young Woman’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 6.2.8 The Self-Confrontation Interview 7: Case 5 7.1 Suicide Story: Margrit 7.2 Suicide Analysis: I Can’t Imagine Living Without Him 7.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 7.2.1.1 Medium-Term and Long-Term Concerns of the Patient 7.2.1.2 Short-Term Actions in Medium-Term Projects: Work; Life Together 7.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 7.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 7.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 7.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 7.2.6 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 7.2.7 The Woman’s Interview with a Psychologist 7.2.8 The Self-Confrontation Interview 8: Case 6 8.1 Suicide Story: A Young Man 8.2 Suicide Analysis: That’s When Everything Fell Apart for Me… 8.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 8.2.1.1 Medium-Term and Long-Term Concerns of the Patient 8.2.1.2 Short-Term Actions in Projects Suicidal Action; Patient (P) 8.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 8.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 8.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 8.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 8.2.6 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 8.2.7 The Young Man’s Conversation with the Psychiatrist 8.2.8 Self-Confrontation Interview 9: Case 7 9.1 Suicide Story: Nicole 9.2 Suicide Analysis: I Just Didn’t See A Reason Behind It All Anymore 9.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 9.2.1.1 Medium-Term (‘Projects’) and Long-Term Concerns 9.2.1.2 Actions of Suicide in Suicide and Other Projects 9.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 9.2.3 Suicidal Action: Consciously Prepared or Spontaneous? 9.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 9.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 9.2.6 Suicide and the Interactive and Joint Action 9.2.7 The Woman’s Conversation with A Psychiatrist 9.2.8 Self-Confrontation Interview 10: Case 8 10.1 Suicide Story: René – I Am Not Needed in This World Anymore 10.2 Suicide Analysis: It Does Not Need Me in This World Anymore 10.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 10.2.1.1 Medium-Term (“Projects”) and Long-Term Concerns 10.2.1.2 Long-Term Concerns 10.2.1.3 Medium-Term Concerns – “Projects” 10.2.2 Short-Term Actions 10.2.3 Problems of Action Organization 10.2.4 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 10.2.5 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 10.2.6 Problems of Action Energization 10.2.7 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 10.2.8 The Young Man’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 10.2.9 The Self-Confrontation Interview 11: Case 9 11.1 Suicide Story: Marie, Who Actually Did This on Purpose 11.1.1 The Mother 11.1.2 Regula 11.1.3 Vreni 11.1.4 Ilonka 11.1.5 Petra 11.1.6 The Father 11.1.7 The Boss 11.1.8 The Boyfriend 11.2 Suicide Analysis: I Actually Did This on Purpose 11.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 11.2.1.1 Medium-Term (‘Projects’) and Long-Term Concerns 11.2.1.2 Long-Term Concerns 11.2.1.3 Medium-Term Concerns – “Projects” 11.2.2 Short-Term Actions in the Self-Punishment Project 11.2.2.1 Short-Term Actions in the Suicide Project 11.2.3 Problems of Action Organization 11.2.4 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 11.2.5 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 11.2.6 Problems of Action Energization 11.2.7 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 11.2.8 The Young Woman’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 11.2.9 The Video Self-Confrontation Interview 12: Case 10 12.1 Suicide Story: Ms. Aebi: When the Soul Cries Out for Help 12.2 Suicide Analysis: A Young Woman: I Was Like in a Trance 12.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 12.2.1.1 Medium-Term (‘Projects’) and Long-Term Concerns 12.2.1.2 Long-Term Concerns 12.2.1.3 Medium-Term Concerns “Projects” 12.2.2 Actions in the Suicide Project 12.2.3 Problems of Action Organization 12.2.4 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 12.2.5 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 12.2.6 Problems of Action Energization 12.2.7 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 12.2.8 The Young Woman’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 12.2.9 The Self-Confrontation Interview 13: Case 11 13.1 Suicide Story: Mr. Bindermann: Nobody Believed Me, Otherwise It Would Not Have Gone So Far 13.2 Suicide Analysis: Young Man “I No Longer Saw Any Point in Continuing to Live in This State” 13.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 13.2.1.1 Medium-Term and Long-Term Concerns of the Patient 13.2.1.2 Short-Term Actions 13.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 13.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 13.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 13.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 13.2.6 Suicide and the Interactive and Collective Action 13.2.7 The Young Man’s Conversation with a Psychiatrist 13.2.8 The Self-Confrontation Interview 14: Case 12 14.1 Suicide Story: Yvonne, Who Can’t Take the Pressure 14.2 Suicide Analysis: Young Woman: “I Just Couldn’t Take It Anymore. For Me Everything Was Just Finished at That Moment” 14.2.1 Long-Term and Medium-Term Concerns and Short-Term Actions 14.2.1.1 Suicide-Related Long-Term Concerns 14.2.1.2 Suicide-Related Medium-Term Concerns and “Projects” 14.2.1.3 Suicide-Related Actions 14.2.2 Problems of Action Organization 14.2.3 Consciously Prepared or Spontaneously Undertaken? 14.2.4 Problems of the Action Monitoring Processes 14.2.5 Problems of Action Energization 14.2.6 Suicide and Interactive and Joint Action 14.2.7 The Young Woman’s Conversation with the Psychiatrist 14.2.8 The Self-Confrontation Interview Part III: Conclusion 15: Suicide Prevention Bibliography