Psychologist investigated the death of Marilyn Monroe
NORMAN FARBEROW ( 1918 — 2015)
Norman Farberow, who died at 97 on Sept. 10, was a world expert in the study of suicide. As well as founding America’s first suicide prevention centre, he carried out “psychological autopsies” on such famous figures as Marilyn Monroe.
Farberow began his work in the aftermath of the Second World War. Veterans re-entering civilian life often struggled to cope, and suicide rates began to rise as a result. He and colleague Edwin Schneidman did the first study of motivating factors behind suicide, based on analysis of suicide notes.
Their investigations exposed many of the prevailing myths of the era. Though it was long assumed a person had to be insane to commit suicide, the pair discovered that only 15 per cent of suicidal people were psychotic. The vast majority suffered from depression. Farberow also found that many who killed themselves had expressed their intention to others prior to acting.
The pair’s findings spawned the Los Angeles Suicide Prevention Center in 1958, the first such facility in the United States and the first with a hotline for people struggling with selfdestructive thoughts. Within a decade, the service was operating 24 hours a day, handling more than 6,000 calls a year.
In part, the rise in demand was due to a shift in social awareness. Marilyn Monroe’s fatal drug overdose in 1962 had shone a very public light on the issue and Farberow led a team of psychiatrists tasked with producing an “autopsy” on the actress’s likely state of mind. By questioning those in contact with her in her final weeks, Farberow learned she had made previous suicide attempts and struggled with mood swings. The team recommended a verdict of suicide.
Norman Louis Farberow was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Feb. 12, 1918, and at 20, graduated in psychology from the University of Pittsburgh. After serving as a captain in the U.S. air force, he joined the Veterans Administration’s graduate program.
Farberow was instrumental in setting up the International Association for Suicide Prevention, and in 1965 he organized the first police training courses to teach officers how to approach suicidal members of the public. In 1981, he helped found the Survivors After Suicide support group, offering therapy to bereaved friends and family.
Norman Farberow married Pearl Ross in 1947; she died in 2008. A son and a daughter survive him.