ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book focuses on the decision to commit suicide than on the decision to continue living. There are many books and articles written on preventing suicide, but very few written in favor of committing suicide. Over 30,000 people kill themselves each year in the United States, and perhaps a quarter of a million people makes an attempt at suicide but survive. In Canada, almost 4,000 people commit suicide each year, and another 3,000 do so in Mexico. These individuals have many friends and relatives who will be shocked and upset by these suicidal acts. Even some of those who have worked professionally to prevent suicide kill themselves when their lives became unbearable. G Stone’s book surveys the various methods for committing suicide more broadly than D. Humphry’s book, and it is a little more explicit about the physical consequences of using each method.
