Why do people take their own lives? Is there anything others can do to stop them? How can we tell when a person is suicidal? In this book, Edwin Schneidman looks carefully at the psychological processes that lead to suicide and discusses suicide as a product of psychological pain and thwarted psychological needs. With suicide (and especially youth suicide) seemingly increasing throughout the Western world today, this book represents a forthright attempt to revitalize the topic and demonstrate that everyone can detect and stop potential suicides from occuring.