Life under Pressure

The Social Roots of Youth Suicide and What to Do About Them

By: Anna S. Mueller, Seth Abrutyn

Narrated by: Erin deWard

A rare study that transforms our understanding of why youth die by suicide, why youth suicide clusters happen, and how to stop them....

In Life under Pressure, Anna S. Mueller and Seth Abrutyn investigate the social roots of youth suicide and why certain places weather disproportionate incidents of adolescent suicides and suicide clusters. Through close examination of kids' lives in a community repeatedly rocked by youth suicide clusters, Mueller and Abrutyn reveal how the social worlds that youth inhabit and the various messages they learn in those spaces—about who they are supposed to be, mental illness, and help-seeking—shape their feelings about themselves and in turn their risk of suicide. With great empathy, Mueller and Abrutyn also identify the moments when adults unintentionally fail kids by not talking to them about suicide, teaching them how to seek help, or helping them grieve.

Through stories of survival, resilience, and even rebellion, Mueller and Abrutyn show how social environments can cause suicide and how they can be changed to help kids discover a life worth living. By revealing what it is like to live and die in one community, Life under Pressure offers tangible solutions to one of the twenty-first century's most tragic public health problems.

©2024 Oxford University Press (P)2024 Tantor

Vitally Important Study

Thorough and thoughtful research. Terrible narration. It’s like the narrator aimed to act the empathetic speaker rather than just present the material.

Insightful read

This was a really insightful book about teen suicide. Everyone should read this book to understand that youth can go through hard times just like adults.

Interesting analysis

The narration is not the best, but the story itself is very good while addressing a subject that is difficult to discuss.