I didn’t like this book.

Overall it was pretty predictable, and nothing was new or surprising to me. I’m not very well-read on the subject so I expected something beyond my common knowledge here.

Throughout the book I thought it was written by a non-professional, someone who dealt with suicidal thoughts themselves and then studied it to write this. I thought this because it was as if they were taking all research at face value (ie, pharmaceuticals can be helpful, and other standard medical talking points without critical evaluation). I was very surprised at the end when it was revealed that the author is actually a clinician.

Omega 3’s were mentioned, which is good, BUT, there are many more important nutrients that are well documented to help with mental illness. The inclusion of omega 3 felt tacked-on and once again felt like she just read a few studies and regurgitated them - I didn’t get a sense of real understanding on how nutrients relate to brain health.

On top of that, we get the standard and ridiculous “talk to your doctor before using this nutrient” nonsense.

The book opens with a history of suicide and how different cultures have viewed it. This segment was alright but was too literary for me to really enjoy. I don’t care for poetry and it’s annoying when cold facts are presented artfully.

This is a very important subject and it deserved better research, more actual useful suggestions, and less outright acceptance of medical dogma.

Very disappointing, do not recommend.