This book expounds the view that suicidal people have the right to receive treatment and for reasonable steps to be taken to ensure they are protected from killing themselves. The book is very well structured and written in an engaging conversational style – with passionate and evocative accounts in places. This ensures that it will readily resonate with clinicians. The text is punctuated with plentiful realistic hypothetical examples to illustrate points and concepts. Although primarily looking at suicide in the UK it readily draws on global aspects. It makes no bones about the ‘woeful failure of funding of mental health services in the UK [which means] that suicidal people are denied the support and help they desperately need’.

The chapter on the definition of suicide is enlightening as to how complex debates around this can be. Another chapter examines in detail the complex phenomenon and causes of suicide. This was eruditely written, bringing together the complexity and nuances of causative factors while noting ‘somewhat dispiritedly’ that the ability to predict suicide remains elusive and ‘no better than it was 50 years ago’. It saliently notes that we remain a long way from any form of predictive test. One of the main chapters looks at ethics and suicide. The key concept of autonomy is explored in detail and is a thread running throughout the whole book. Although concluding that few suicidal decisions are ‘sufficiently autonomously rich to fulfil that justificatory role’, I felt there was very balanced discussion for and against this conclusion.

Two chapters look at the legal aspects and responses of suicide, including the Mental Health Act, Mental Capacity Act and the Human Rights Act – Article 2 of which being the basis for the book. These are essential reading for clinicians, especially the juxtaposition of autonomy and the application of the MCA, i.e. whether a person has capacity to take their own life, which can be for many a vexing proposition. Herring argues in favour of the view that all suicidal people have the right to be prevented from suicide but there are limits on the circumstances in which the state is responsible for the breach of those rights. This is clearly analysed and described in detail. Herring accepts that there are resource issues in this being applied.

He opines that the importance of suicide prevention has largely been lost and should be recognised as a major social justice issue. One of the strongest chapters examines suicide prevention. It provides a compelling evidence-based review in advocating for suicide prevention strategies being best placed outside that of compulsory detention, which is often thought of as a primary preventive process.

Although clearly advocating a particular line of thinking, Herring has, however, provided a balanced review of this important topic. The preamble describes it as a ‘ground-breaking’ book. I am very much inclined to agree with this. I would particularly recommend it to core and specialist trainees in terms of being a deep-dive review of this topic, as well as a revitalising text for consultants.

Editor's Note: Though it is notable that the title runs against the current view that we ought to desist from using the term ‘commit suicide’.