Book contents
- Understanding Suicide in the United States
- Understanding Suicide in the United States
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Preface
- Chapter 1 A Brief View on the Social History of Suicide
- Chapter 2 Pain, Suffering, and Buffering
- Chapter 3 Allostasis
- Chapter 4 Suicide Demographics in the United States
- Chapter 5 Prevention, Identification, and Intervention
- Chapter 6 Building Resilient Individuals, Communities, and Societies to Prevent Suicide
- Chapter 7 Hope
- References
- Index
Chapter 3 - Allostasis
The Biology and Neuroscience of Suicide
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 October 2023
- Understanding Suicide in the United States
- Understanding Suicide in the United States
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Boxes
- Preface
- Chapter 1 A Brief View on the Social History of Suicide
- Chapter 2 Pain, Suffering, and Buffering
- Chapter 3 Allostasis
- Chapter 4 Suicide Demographics in the United States
- Chapter 5 Prevention, Identification, and Intervention
- Chapter 6 Building Resilient Individuals, Communities, and Societies to Prevent Suicide
- Chapter 7 Hope
- References
- Index
Summary
Suicide is a complex public health problem driven by a multitude of biopsychosocial factors and is the result of gene–environment interactions. Psychosocial variables like chronic stress and trauma have biologic ramifications and can contribute to various forms of pathophysiology, dysregulation, and degradation, represented by allostatic load (AL). AL is the wear and tear that stress exerts on the body, and it has been associated with mental health problems and suicide. Fortunately, there are pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions that may be effective at reducing AL and reversing its effects. Incorporating AL into efforts to promote early risk identification, prevention, and treatment of suicide is an important consideration. Critical next steps are identifying which AL biomarkers are most malleable, which effective treatments reduce AL, and if these reductions of AL are associated with decreased suicide.
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- Understanding Suicide in the United StatesA Social, Biological, and Psychological Perspective, pp. 26 - 46Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023