How I Stayed Alive When My Brain Was Trying to Kill Me

This book is a painfully honest, deeply compassionate guide written by Susan Rose Blauner — someone who endured years of suicidal thoughts, multiple suicide attempts, and psychiatric hospitalizations. Rather than just offering a memoir, Blauner presents this work as a practical “manual” for surviving suicidal crises. Through her story and a set of concrete coping strategies (what she calls “25 Tricks of the Trade,” including a detailed “crisis plan”), the book aims to help people who feel overwhelmed by suicidal thoughts, empower them to reach out for help, and give loved ones tools for support.