Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Part I Theoretical background
- Part II Culture and mental health
- Part III Culture and mental disorders
- Part IV Theoretical aspects of management
- 26 Traumascape: an ecological–cultural–historical model for extreme stress
- 27 Sexual dysfunction across cultures
- 28 Therapist–patient interactions and expectations
- 29 Developing mental-health services for multicultural societies
- 30 Psychopharmacology across cultures
- 31 Psychotherapy across cultures
- 32 Psychological interventions and assessments
- 33 Spiritual aspects of management
- 34 Cultural aspects of suicide
- Part V Management with special groups
- Part VI Cultural research and training
- Cultural psychiatry: the past and the future
- Index
- References
34 - Cultural aspects of suicide
from Part IV - Theoretical aspects of management
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 August 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Foreword
- Preface
- Part I Theoretical background
- Part II Culture and mental health
- Part III Culture and mental disorders
- Part IV Theoretical aspects of management
- 26 Traumascape: an ecological–cultural–historical model for extreme stress
- 27 Sexual dysfunction across cultures
- 28 Therapist–patient interactions and expectations
- 29 Developing mental-health services for multicultural societies
- 30 Psychopharmacology across cultures
- 31 Psychotherapy across cultures
- 32 Psychological interventions and assessments
- 33 Spiritual aspects of management
- 34 Cultural aspects of suicide
- Part V Management with special groups
- Part VI Cultural research and training
- Cultural psychiatry: the past and the future
- Index
- References
Summary
EDITORS' INTRODUCTION
The two chapters on suicidal behaviour in this volume are complementary and offer different perspectives on the subject. Portzky and van Heeringen provide a continental European overview of suicidal behaviour. This is an important facet in this book, in that by and large the ethnicity of people is white and yet there is an enormous variation in the rates of suicide and suicidal behaviour. The variation in the rates in Eastern Europe itself and in comparison with the rates in Western Europe is striking. The authors emphasize that the method of suicide is dictated by cultural factors and the changes within specific cultures are influenced by a number of social factors. The risk factors for males include less adaptive stress response, such as avoidance, denial, distraction and alcohol. In addition, emotional isolation and less social integration may play a role. Another risk factor which must be taken into account is social status. Cultural patterns of suicidal behaviour include strong social integration. Role of family and marriage, collectivist nature of societies, religion, differences in depression and associated different attitudes to help seeking are beginning to emerge as significant factors. The nature of the culture will also contribute to rates of self-harm. Social regulation rather than legal regulation, family and kinship networks, coping strategies which are accepted by the culture will need to be investigated further in order to determine their exact contribution to suicidal behaviour.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Textbook of Cultural Psychiatry , pp. 445 - 458Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2007
References
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