ABSTRACT
Suicide, the most feared complication of depression, is responsible for over 30,000 deaths annually in the United States.
What is the relationship between spirituality and this desperate act? In what follows I examine (1) evidence that religion and spirituality influence suicide; (2) how clinicians can usefully take this relationship into account in assessing and reducing suicide risk; (3) ways of bringing spiritual resources to bear in dealing with the concerns of suicidal individuals; and (4) approaches to helping families and friends heal in the aftermath of a completed suicide.
