Inner World of a Suicidal Youth

Electra is a well-loved, beautiful, highly intelligent teenager. Yet, as is not uncommon, she becomes so depressed she contemplates suicide, considering it for years until she finally takes action. Electra's diary, discovered after her death and presented here by a psychiatrist, reveals her first-person reflections through to her fatal college year, showing how thought distortions are caused and how they chip away at self-esteem and the will to survive. In addition to enlightening professionals and aspiring professionals, this work will empower parents to identify and address growing dimensions in their children's development, and understand the struggles they face. And the end result is that Electra's diary teaches us all a lot about changes that are needed so that we can develop effective suicide prevention and treatment strategies, says author Millie Osborne, M.D.

Suicide is now a public health crisis. It is the third leading cause of death for youths aged 15 to 24, and the fourth leading cause of death for children aged 10 to 14. As author Osborne explains, Existing approaches to preventing youth suicide have had little impact on reducing the number of suicides and suicide attempts across America. By unveiling the private thoughts of a suicidal teenager in this unprecedented book, Osborne hopes that the legacy of Electra will be an understanding of the adolescent mind that will spur more effective means to recognize, treat, and heal those at risk, and so vastly reduce suicide among our youths.

Millie Osborne, M.D. is a Psychiatrist and Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. A graduate of Brown University and the Medical College of Virginia, she has more than 20 years experience helping people and their families recover from self-destructive behaviors. A Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, she is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Geriatric Psychiatry. As current Medical Director to a large community agency, and editor of a public healthcare newsletter, she mentors students, develops educational programs on suicidology, conducts roundtable discussions for professionals, and provides second opinion consultations. She is the mother of four children, three of whom are teenagers.