1st Edition
Cultural Diversity and Suicide Ethnic, Religious, Gender, and Sexual Orientation Perspectives
This book adds a vital and overlooked dimensiondiversityto suicide assessments and interventions
The literature on the relationship between culture and suicide has historically been widely scattered and often difficult to find. Cultural Diversity and Suicide summarizes that widespread literature so that counselors can begin to include diversity issues as important variables that can help them become even more effective when conducting suicide assessments or interventions.
For ease of reading, Cultural Diversity and Suicide is divided into chapters based on ethnicity. The book avoids broad generalizations whenever possible, thus each chapter specifically discusses critical within-group variables (issues relating to gender, age, religion, and sexuality) that should be considered when conducting suicide assessments and interventions. Each chapter includes at least one case study and incorporates clear headings that make it simple to find specific information.
Cultural Diversity and Suicide is not a book of cookie-cutter approaches to suicide prevention, nor is it a primer for the novice. Rather, it has been carefully designed to help counselors and counselors-in-training gain a fuller understanding of the issues that may lead individuals from diverse backgrounds to consider suicideand the cultural aspects of an individual’s heritage that can influence that person’s decision. Written for professionals who have a pre-existing understanding of how to work with suicidal clients, the book begins with a concise but essential overview of traditional suicide risk factors and a brief assessment model (an excellent memory refresher), and then moves quickly into specific diversity issues relevant to:
- European Americans
- African Americans
- Asian Americans
- Hispanic Americans
- Native Americans
- lesbian/gay/bisexual issues and the increase in suicide rate based on sexual orientation and sexual identity
- religious differencessuicide rates among various religious groups, religious differences in views of suicide, views of the afterlife, burial practices, and views of lesbian/gay/bisexual people
- cultural buffers, such as extended family and religious practice
- suicide prevention interventions based on cultural differences (essentially, how traditional suicide prevention programs can be altered to include new variables)
- Preface
- Acknowledgments
- Chapter 1. Introduction
- How Does Culture Affect Suicide?
- A Brief History of Suicide
- Definitions of Suicide
- Typical Risk Factors Usually Associated with Suicide
- Suicide Assessment
- Suicide Prevention
- Crisis Intervention and Culture
- Traditional Counseling and Psychotherapy Approaches
- Additional Terms Discussed Throughout the Book
- Chapter 2. European Americans
- Data
- Gender
- Age
- Religion
- Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Issues
- Summary
- Chapter 3. African Americans
- Data
- Gender
- Age
- Cultural Buffers
- Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Issues
- Suicide Prevention and Intervention
- Summary
- Chapter 4. Asian Americans
- Data and Gender
- Age
- Religious and Spiritual Issues
- Specific Ethnic Groups
- Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Issues
- Buddhist Views of Death and Dying
- Hindu Views of Death and Dying
- Specific Cultural Groups
- Suicide Prevention and Intervention
- Summary
- Chapter 5. Hispanic Americans
- Data and Gender
- Age
- Cultural Buffers
- Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Issues
- Suicide Prevention and Intervention
- Summary
- Chapter 6. Native Americans
- History
- Data
- Gender
- Tribal Affiliation and Acculturation
- Methods and Concomitant Factors
- Spirituality and Religion
- Views of Death, Suicide, and the Afterlife
- Death Rituals and Mourning
- Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual (Two-Spirit) Issues
- Suicide Prevention and Intervention
- Summary
- References
- Index
Biography
Mark M Leach