The idea that suicide may be an acceptable, rational option is rarely presented in professional literature. However, recent events and developments forcefully demonstrate that mental health professionals can no longer ignore the possibility that people can make a rational decision to die. After introducing the concept of rational suicide, the book explores the changing views of suicide over the centuries. Common arguments against rational suicide are examined and rebutted.

This text brings together spokespersons from several different disciplines who can present their arguments for or against rational suicide as a viable concept and, consequently, a realistic option. The pros and cons of the discussion format bring the readers to search for their beliefs, and the final decision of acceptance or rejection of the concept is left to each individual reader.

This book provides a comprehensive view of rational suicide in the elderly, a group that has nearly twice the rate of suicide when chronically ill than any other demographic. Its frame of reference does not endorse a single point-of-view about the legitimacy of rational suicide, which is evolving across societies with little guidance for geriatric mental health professionals. Instead, it serves as a resource for both those clinicians who agree that older people may rationally commit suicide and those who believe that this wish may require further assessment and treatment. The first chapters of the book provides an overview of rational suicide in the elderly, examining it through history and across cultures also addressing the special case of baby boomers. This book takes an ethical and philosophical look at whether suicide can truly be rational and whether the nearness of death in late-life adults means that suicide should be considered differently than in younger adults. Clinical criteria for rational suicide in the elderly are proposed in this book for the first time, as well as a guidelines for the psychosocial profile of an older adult who wants to commit rational suicide. Unlike any other book, this text examines the existential, psychological, and psychodynamic perspectives. A chapter on terminal mental illness and a consideration of suicide in that context and proposed interventions even without a diagnosable mental illness also plays a vital role in this book as these are key issues in within the question of suicide among the elderly. This book is the first to consider all preventative measures, including the spiritual as well as the psychotherapeutic, and pharmacologic. A commentary on modern society, aging, and rational suicide that ties all of these elements together, making this the ultimate guide for addressing suicide among the elderly. Rational Suicide in the Elderly is an excellent resource for all medical professionals with potentially suicidal patients, including geriatricians, geriatric and general psychiatrists, geriatric nurses, social workers, and public health officials.

Suicide is a complex phenomenon that is now considered understood as a neurodevelopmental condition encompassing childhood experiences as well as proximal conditions such as mental disorders and adverse life events. Individuals in crisis may face overwhelming psychological pain, which in some cases may overcome the threshold of each unique individual for whom suicide is considered the best option to deal with such pain. However, many socio-demographic, personal, or temperamental variables have been investigated for their causal association with suicide risk, but to date no single factor has clearly demonstrated an association with suicide. The mental disorders most frequently associated with suicide risk include bipolar disorders and major unipolar depression, substance use disorders and schizophrenia. However, anxiety, personality, eating, and trauma-related disorders, as well as organic mental disorders, also contribute to suicidal risk. Moreover, in modern society, the presence of social uncertainty, the changes in family models, the development of social media, and the loss of face-to-face interaction can have an impact on suicide risk, particularly in the younger generation.

Multidisciplinary and comprehensive in scope, this volume serves as an authoritative overview of scientific knowledge about suicide and its prevention, providing a foundation in theory, research, and clinical applications. Issues relevant to clinical case management are highlighted, and various treatment modalities are discussed in light of the latest research findings.

Nursing Ethics: Across the Curriculum and Into Practice continues to provide a solid ethical foundation for nursing students in an updated sixth edition. This comprehensive, easy-to-read text covers ethics across the nursing curriculum, making it a perfect fit for any undergraduate course. Logically divided into three parts, Nursing Ethics, Sixth Edition underscores how ethics is interwoven with nearly every aspect of professional nursing practice. It guides students through the foundations of ethics in nursing, ethical considerations across the lifespan, and ethical considerations for areas such as leadership and public health. Engaging learning features, including case studies, legal perspectives, and research notes bring concepts to life and serve to remind students that ethics really does sit at the heart of professional nursing practice and quality patient care.

Americans are living longer, and the elder population is growing larger. To meet the ongoing need for quality information on elder health, the Encyclopedia of Aging and Public Health combines multiple perspectives to offer readers a more accurate and complete picture of the aging process. The book takes a biopsychosocial approach to the complexities of its subject. In-depth introductory chapters include coverage on a historical and demographic overview of aging in America, a guide to biological changes accompanying aging, an analysis of the diversity of the U.S. elder population, legal issues commonly affecting older adults, and the ethics of using cognitively impaired elders in research. From there, over 425 entries cover the gamut of topics, trends, diseases, and phenomena: -Specific populations, including ethnic minorities, custodial grandparents, and centenarians -Core medical conditions associated with aging, from cardiac and pulmonary diseases to Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s -Mental and emotional disorders -Drugs/vitamins/alternative medicine -Disorders of the eyes, feet, and skin -Insomnia and sleep disorders; malnutrition and eating disorders -Sexual and gender-related concerns -And a broad array of social and political issues, including access to care, abuse/neglect, veterans’ affairs, and assisted suicide Entries on not-quite-elders’ concerns (e.g., midlife crisis, menopause) are featured as well. And all chapters and entries include references and resource lists. The Encyclopedia has been developed for maximum utility to clinicians, social workers, researchers, and public health professionals working with older adults. Its multidisciplinary coverage and scope of topics make this volume an invaluable reference for academic and public libraries.

Based on the concept that compassionate relationships between nurses and patients form a vital element of humanistic nursing, Nursing Ethics: Across the Curriculum and Into Practice provides foundational knowledge about ethics to prepare nursing students for the moral issues they will experience daily. Derived from theoretical foundations, clinical evidence and case study, this text is ideal for nursing students by providing decision-making approaches and models, rationale for decisions, and management of care for various topics. Addressing a wide array of nursing moral issues, this text includes current scholarly literature, related news briefs, and research and legal findings regarding ethical issues.

This book provides a broad, systematic, and comprehensive exploration of both historical and contemporary argumentation concerning suicide. It probes the underlying ethical, religious and philosophical issues about self-caused death, and shows how they are crucial in the current debate.