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12 - The Role of Culture and Societal Factors

from Section 3 - Special Topics: Medicolegal Considerations and Specific Populations

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 May 2021

Christine Yu Moutier ,
Anthony R. Pisani  and
Stephen M. Stahl
Christine Yu Moutier
Affiliation:
The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
Anthony R. Pisani
Affiliation:
University of Rochester Medical Center, New York
Stephen M. Stahl
Affiliation:
University of California, San Diego
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Summary

Cultural factors including conscious and unconscious beliefs and attitudes have an influence on suicide risk for individuals, families, and populations. Science shows clearly that suicide risk draws on multiple risk and protective factors at the individual and environmental levels. By understanding how particular beliefs and stigma may impact suicide risk, healthcare professionals can communicate more effectively with patients from different cultural backgrounds for the purpose of both risk assessment and patient care. For example, eliciting the patient’s perspectives about particular life challenges, about mental healthcare, and even about suicide itself, can be useful in engaging the patient in both self-care and treatment planning.

Type
Chapter
Information
Suicide Prevention
Stahl's Handbooks
 , pp. 205 - 215
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2021

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References

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Emergency Task Force on Black Youth Suicide and Mental Health. (2019) Ring the Alarm: The Crisis of Black Youth Suicide in America. Retrieved from watsoncoleman.house.gov/uploadedfiles/full_taskforce_report.pdfGoogle Scholar

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