#018 - Why Do People Kill Themselves? (Prof. Rory O'Connor)

Today we discuss the topic of suicide with Prof. Rory O'Connor.

In today's conversation we explore some common myths about suicide, why men are three times more likely than women to die by suicide and the role and responsibility of the media when it comes to reporting on this particular issue.

We discuss the development of Rory’s theory of suicidal behaviour and his mission to discover what separates the few people who do die by suicide from the vast majority who don’t, the effectiveness of suicide awareness campaigns, why suicide should never be seen as a cop out and suicide attempts never dismissed as attention seeking.

We also spend a good deal of time exploring some practical advice for people, and the friends and relatives of those people, who are themselves feeling suicidal.

For show notes and to join the conversation visit: http://myownworstenemy.org/podcast

Email: [email protected]

Follow Danny on Twitter: http://twitter.com/dannydwhittaker