Conduita suicidară: patternuri şi determinanţi socio-culturali [Suicidal Behavior: Social and Cultural Patterns and Determinants]

Suicidal behavior has never been studied as in the last decades. A lot of interest has – and is – been paid by individuals, organizations, public institutions and governments, trying to understand it and to prevent the only preventable death that we know. However, the scientific community and field workers from different countries are still far from having a common understanding of the causes, determinants, social and cultural patterns of the suicidal behavior. Different studies and researches are presenting different results, focuses, variables and indicators. Is the suicidal behavior strongly connected to (or even a mark or a proof of) mental health issues? Or with alcoholism, religious denomination, gender, age, residence, marital status, previous attempt, family history etc.? The answer is anyhow but simple, decisive or universally accepted. This article is aiming to present the most common patterns, as well as social and cultural determinants that have been used to explain the suicidal behavior, trying to emphasize the fact the suicide has rather a social explanation and needs to have a local approach.

Keywords: suicide, suicidal behavior, Integrative Suicidology