Professor Rory O'Connor draws on decades of research to untangle the complex reasons behind suicide, what we can do to prevent it, and how we can help ourselves and others when things seem endlessly painful.

Global suicide rates have been growing for the last two decades, and suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35 in the UK.

Suicide remains one of the final taboo subjects — people fear mentioning it, and those affected by it retreat from discussing their grief. But why do we fear mentioning suicide?

Professor Rory O'Connor has been studying suicide for the last 30 years and is director of the Suicidal Behaviour Research Laboratory at the University of Glasgow.

In his book, When It Is Darkest: Why People Die by Suicide, O'Connor tackles the complexities of suicide, deconstructs myths surrounding it, and reminds us that everyone is affected by suicide, even those who don't feel at risk.