Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless by June Hunt

Book Blurb:

Nothing is as heartbreaking as a loved one who has lost hope and is contemplating suicide. A person who seems cheerful one day can slip into despair and hopelessness the next. God’s heart is tender and full of compassion toward those experiencing deep pain. The mini-book Suicide Prevention covers the steps to identifying and preventing suicide using a Christian approach. Suicide prevention requires compassion toward the sufferer, along with practical steps and biblical assurance of God’s love.
The Bible says, The Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion” (Isaiah 30:18). He feels the emotional, spiritual, and physical agony that engulfs the lives of those teetering on the brink of absolute hopelessness and suicide. And from God’s tender heart springs forth words of wisdom, life-transforming truths that truly affirm your value to him.
You will learn how to better reflect God’s heart to help those who are hurting, and you will gain practical insight on what to say and what to do. This mini-book is filled with practical advice and Biblical wisdom to guide you as you reach out to a suicidal friend.

Review:

If you or anyone you love is considering suicide, please know that you are loved and cared for and you deserve to keep living. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline’s number is 1-800-273-8255, and there is a chat option available on the website as well.

Within these 90 or so pages, June Hunt tackles a subject that many find hard to approach. The book covers the characteristics and causes of suicide as well as steps to a solution, both for the reader and for those the reader loves. Hunt takes the time to demystify the subject, even looking
at different myths concerning things like when most suicides happen or whether talking about it with people who are depressed will worsen the situation. Her blend of statistics, her own take on the issue, and supporting Scripture helps the reader to understand more about the different sides of the matter.

I found this book to be a good introduction to the topic of suicide and suicidal idealization. The book is easy to understand and engaging. However, I do think that the organization of the book, while clear in the table of contents, seems slightly muddied while reading.

The bare facts about how this issue affects the world can be depressing, and the references to Scripture and the reminders that people can heal are encouraging throughout the book. Although no graphic material is present in the form of pictures, the book does deal with a topic that can be difficult for many. Suicide Prevention: Hope When Life Seems Hopeless fills the spot of a book that can help people going through these feelings as well as somebody willing to help others.

This book is part of the Hope for the Heart series. Other books in the series cover issues such as self-worth, anger, forgiveness, and verbal and emotional abuse.