A review of David Foster Wallace's 'The Pale King', examining its themes, the author's style and personal struggles, and the reviewer's evolving perspective on Wallace's work and legacy. Longer summary

This book review discusses David Foster Wallace's unfinished novel 'The Pale King', focusing on its themes, Wallace's writing style, and his personal struggles. The review explores Wallace's attempt to transcend postmodernism, his critique of consumer culture, and his vision for a more sincere and morally engaged society. It also delves into Wallace's mental health issues, his suicide, and the posthumous controversy surrounding his personal life. The reviewer reflects on their own journey with Wallace's work, from initial admiration to eventual disillusionment, while still acknowledging the value and limitations of his literary contributions. Shorter summary

A review of 'Two Arms and a Head', a paraplegic's memoir and argument for physician-assisted suicide, exploring the book's content and the broader debate around Medical Assistance in Dying. Longer summary

This review examines 'Two Arms and a Head', a memoir and suicide note written by Clayton Schwartz, a philosophy student who became paraplegic after a motorcycle accident. The book details the physical and emotional devastation of paraplegia, argues for the legalization of physician-assisted suicide, and criticizes society's approach to disability. The review also explores the current state of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) and the arguments against it from disability rights organizations. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander directs readers to his essay on Works in Progress examining why suicide rates didn't increase during the COVID-19 pandemic as expected. Longer summary

Scott Alexander refers readers to his essay published on Works in Progress, which discusses the unexpected trend of suicides during the COVID-19 pandemic. The essay, titled 'Why didn't suicides rise during Covid?', likely explores the counterintuitive finding that suicide rates did not increase as many had predicted during the global health crisis. While the post itself doesn't provide details, it suggests an in-depth analysis of suicide statistics, mental health trends, and potential explanations for this phenomenon during the pandemic. Shorter summary

Scott investigates unusually high suicide rates in Guyana, Greenland, and Siberian regions, exploring potential ethnic, cultural, and social factors contributing to these trends. Longer summary

This post explores unusually high suicide rates in different parts of the world, focusing on Guyana, Greenland, and remote Siberian regions. Scott examines potential causes for these high rates, including ethnic and cultural factors, alcohol consumption, social disruption, and abuse. For Guyana, he notes the high rate among Indo-Guyanese, speculating on possible cultural or historical reasons. In Greenland, he discusses the dramatic increase in suicide rates since the 1970s, linking it to forced modernization and a spike in alcohol consumption. For Siberian groups, he explores various theories including genetics and cultural traditions, but ultimately suggests that the combination of alcohol-naive hunter-gatherers, high alcohol consumption, and disruption of traditional ways of life may be the primary factors across these regions. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander explores why US suicide rates aren't higher despite high gun ownership, concluding that the US likely has a low base rate elevated by gun availability. Longer summary

Scott Alexander investigates why the US doesn't have higher suicide rates despite high gun ownership. He examines data showing guns increase suicides within the US, but the US doesn't have higher rates internationally. Scott proposes that the US may have a very low base suicide rate due to factors like religiosity and ethnic diversity, which is then elevated by gun availability. He concludes that a gun-free US might have one of the lowest suicide rates in the developed world, around 5-6 per 100,000. The post warns against simplistic 'gotcha' arguments using international comparisons without deeper analysis. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander shares his experiences and reflections as a final-year psychiatric resident, discussing communication techniques, challenges in psychotherapy, and the anxiety of managing patient risks. Longer summary

Scott Alexander reflects on his experiences as a final-year psychiatric resident. He discusses the differences between resident years, the challenges of dealing with patients and attendings, and the techniques he's learned for effective communication. He also shares his struggles with psychotherapy, his frustrations with psychoanalysis, and the constant anxiety of managing suicide risk among patients. The post ends with Scott contemplating the 'reverse lottery' nature of psychiatric practice and how a patient's suicide attempt has affected his approach to patient care. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the relationship between gun ownership and homicide rates, finding a likely causal link but noting it's not the main factor in the US's high murder rate. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes the relationship between gun ownership and homicide rates in the US, critiquing misleading statistics and conducting a more rigorous analysis. He finds that while there is likely a causal relationship between gun ownership and homicide rates, it's not the primary factor explaining the US's high murder rate compared to other developed countries. He tentatively concludes that gun control measures similar to Australia's might be beneficial, but emphasizes the need for further research. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study claiming to have found biomarkers for suicide risk, arguing that the results are overstated and such a test would have limited clinical utility even if accurate. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques a study claiming to have found biomarkers predicting suicide risk with 92% accuracy. He points out that most of the predictive power likely comes from clinical instruments rather than biomarkers, and that the biomarkers alone were insignificant in 7 out of 8 tests. Even if the 92% accuracy claim were true, Scott argues it wouldn't be very useful in practice due to the low base rate of suicide attempts. He concludes that while research on biological factors in suicide is valuable, a blood test for suicide is unlikely to ever be clinically useful due to the complex nature of suicide involving both biological and environmental factors. Shorter summary

A fictional story about a suicidal woman's encounters with an unusual 'dark side psychiatrist' and a regular psychiatrist, with a supernatural twist at the end. Longer summary

The post is a fictional story about a woman who, feeling suicidal, accidentally calls a 'suicide hotline' instead of a 'suicide prevention hotline'. She then visits a 'dark side psychiatrist' who encourages her suicidal thoughts. Traumatized, she later sees a regular psychiatrist who helps her rationalize the experience as a misunderstanding. The story takes a twist at the end when it's implied that the 'dark side psychiatrist' might have been supernatural. The narrative explores themes of mental health, therapy techniques, and the nature of reality versus perception. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques the inefficiency of psychiatric care for poverty-related issues, suggesting a Basic Income Guarantee as a potentially more effective solution. Longer summary

Scott Alexander discusses the inefficiency of psychiatric care for patients whose primary issue is poverty. He relates a case where a suicidal patient, in debt for $5000, is hospitalized at a cost of $5000, which doesn't address the underlying financial problem. The post criticizes the current system as wasteful and patronizing, highlighting the dilemma between libertarian and liberal approaches to such issues. Scott suggests that a Basic Income Guarantee might be more effective and cost-efficient than current psychiatric interventions for poverty-related issues, potentially saving money in both psychiatric care and prison systems. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander argues that depression and suicide rates are not reliable indicators of societal well-being, critiquing simplistic interpretations of mental health statistics in social comparisons. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques articles that use higher depression and suicide rates in Scandinavian countries to argue against their social success. He points out that depression is not synonymous with sadness or social dysfunction, offering several potential explanations for higher rates in Scandinavia unrelated to societal well-being. He then demonstrates how depression and suicide rates don't always correlate with social dysfunction by comparing white and black Americans. Finally, he discusses a study showing that happier places tend to have higher suicide rates, challenging simplistic interpretations of mental health statistics in societal comparisons. Shorter summary

Scott criticizes interpretations of a study suggesting psychiatric care might cause suicide, arguing this ignores the more likely explanation of selection bias. Longer summary

Scott critiques a study and subsequent editorial suggesting psychiatric interventions might increase suicide risk. He argues that the correlation between psychiatric treatment and suicide doesn't necessarily imply causation, using analogies like police contact and murder rates to illustrate the flawed reasoning. Scott points out that the original study authors acknowledged this limitation, but subsequent interpretations ignored it. He argues that while psychiatric interventions may have negative effects worth studying, this particular study doesn't provide useful evidence for that claim. The post ends by acknowledging that the relationship between psychiatric care and suicide is complex and deserves careful, high-quality research. Shorter summary

Scott examines the feeling of being a burden in depression, arguing that society owes individuals support and suggesting a need for new ways to find meaning beyond traditional 'contribution'. Longer summary

Scott discusses the concept of feeling like a burden, a common theme among suicidal patients. He explores how this feeling relates to depression and societal expectations, and argues that society owes individuals support due to how it has changed the environment humans evolved in. The post critiques the idea that people must 'contribute' to have worth, suggesting we need a new value system as automation increases. Scott proposes basic income as a potential solution and advises patients to focus on less tangible ways of finding meaning. Shorter summary