Working in the Dark focuses on the authors' understanding of an
individual's pre-suicide state of mind, based on their work with many
suicidal individuals, with special attention to those who attempted
suicide while in treatment. The book explores how to listen to a
suicidal individual's history, the nature of their primary relationships
and their conscious and unconscious communications.
Campbell and Hale address the searing emotional impact on relatives,
friends and those involved with a person who tries to kill themself, by
offering advice on the management of a suicide attempt and how to follow
up in the aftermath. Establishing key concepts such as suicide fantasy
and pre-suicidal states in adolescents, the book illustrates the
pre-suicide state of mind through clinical vignettes, case studies,
reflections from those in recovery and discussions with professionals.
Working in the Dark will be of interest to social workers, probation
officers, nurses, psychologists, counsellors, psychotherapists,
psychoanalysts and doctors who work with those who have attempted
suicide or are about to do so.