RfRx - Suicide: The Tragic Angel of Our Nature with Dr. Andy Thomson, M.D.
Recovering from Religion
Trigger Warning: suicide & death Suicide is an ever present part of our human experience, be it through an acquaintance, friend, or family member taking their own life, or something even more personal, such as suicidal thoughts and attempts. When faced with suicide whether it's as close as someone coming to you for help, or as distant as media reports, it can be daunting to know what to do and if you could have done something to prevent it. In this RfRx discussion, Dr. Andy Thomson will walk us through how to assess the signs, how to understand why suicide is a human universal, as well as why the risks are higher for veterans, trauma survivors, members of the LGBT+ community, and health care professionals. Dr. Andy Thomson is a psychiatrist at University of Virginia Student Health Services. The 9/11 attacks triggered an interest in suicide terrorism, which led to the discovery of an unappreciated world of research into how and why human minds generate religious beliefs. His current interest is in Darwinian psychiatry, evolutionary medicine, and evolutionary psychology and their applications to clinical depression, antidepressant medications, religious belief, substance abuse, well-being, resilience, suicide risk assessment, and psychiatric illness. Dr Thomson has written "Why We Believe In God(s): A Concise Guide to the Science of Faith" which brings that world to anyone interested.
