Suicide Across Cultures

Over 700,000 people globally take their own lives every year, which equates to one death by suicide every 40 seconds. Among teenagers and young adults, suicide is the second most common cause of death after road traffic accidents. Overall, almost three times as many men than women die by suicide. There are, however, significant variations in the patterns of suicide across cultures, gender, age, geographic locations, and personal history, due to the complex relationship of how these factors converge. One thing that remains consistent, is that every death is a tragedy for family, friends, and all colleagues. Traditions of suicidal behaviour are deeply rooted in any given culture, and so examining the cultural influences can be of paramount importance in the understanding and assessment of a suicidal crisis. Suicide Across Cultures offers the opportunity to expand knowledge beyond majority groups and to look further than the dominant paradigm in suicide research, treatment, and prevention. With the majority of global suicides taking place in non-Western societies, minority groups are an essential area in suicide research. Written by experts from around the world, this fascinating textbook includes topics and regions that are not usually covered in texts on suicide and self-harm. It provides a unique, and important insight for academics and students in psychiatry, as well as anyone from the wider public with an interest in the psychiatry of suicide across cultures.

Prof. Schouler-Ocak is a specialist in psychiatry, specialising in neurology, and psychotherapy, particularly in trauma focused psychotherapy. She also has a certification in EMDR - therapy and social medicine. She is working as a senior physician at the Psychiatric University Clinic of Charitè at St. Hedwig Hospital in Berlin, where she is chief physician at the Outpatient Clinic, Chair of the Research Group on Intercultural Migration and Mental Healthcare, and Social Psychiatist at the Clinic of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at Charité - University Medical School in Berlin.
Prof. Murad Moosa Khan is Lead Scientist, Suicide Research & Prevention and Mental Health at the Brain and Mind Institute, Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi, Pakistan, and Professor Emeritus, Department of Psychiatry, AKU. He is former President of the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) and has contributed to IASP's global suicide prevention strategy. His research focuses on the epidemiology and socio-cultural factors of suicide and self-harm, mental health of women and the elderly, and ethics in medicine. Dr. Khan continues to lead efforts in advancing mental health research and promoting ethical standards in mental healthcare.

- Part 1 - Influencing factors on suicide and suicidal behaviour  - 1: Terminology of suicide, suicidal behaviour and the meaning of suicide in different cultural backgrounds - 2: Cultural factors in suicide - 3: The role of culture in a suicidal process - 4: Epidemiological aspects of suicide and suicidality - 5: Genetic aspects of suicide - 6: Gender inequality and suicide: a systematic review of empirical studies - 7: Suicide and religion: a comparative analysis of a complex relationship to pnform practice - Part 2 - Suicidality, migrants, and ethnic minorities - 8: Suicide among asian migrants in Hong Kong: a case study - 9: Suicide prevention in sub-Saharan Africa: cultural considerations and opportunities to advance research and practice - 10: Suicide risk in Latin America: international migrants, prison populations and sexual minorities - 11: Suicidal behaviour and social cultural factors among immigrants of Turkish origin in Germany - Part 3 - High risk groups and suicidality - 12: Suicidal behaviour and social cultural factors among South Asians in the UK - 13: Suicidality in black and people of colour communities  - 14: Suicide in Nepal - 15: Suicide in Indonesia - 16: Suicide scripts of the Nacirema (aka American) - Part 4 - Suicidality and mental health - 17: Suicidality and trauma - 18: Suicide and psychiatric disorders - 19: Bullying, cyberbulling, and suicide - 20: The influence of religion on euthanasia and physician assisted suicide - 21: Suicide during the global COVID-19 pandemic - Part 5 - Prevention concepts and programs - 22: National strategies and plans for the prevention of suicide - 23: The role of media in suicidality in lower and middle-income countries: learnings from India - 24: Ethnic aspects in pharmacological treatment of suicidality