Citation

Hunter EM. Aust. N. Zeal. J. Psychiatry 1988; 22(3): 264-271.

Affiliation

Institute of Psychiatry, New South Wales.

Comment In:

Aust N Z J Psychiatry 1989;23(2):164-5.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1988, Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists, Publisher SAGE Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

3263115

Abstract

Aboriginal suicide has become an issue receiving national attention because of the association with "deaths in custody". To date little systematic work has been directed to the investigation of suicide among a non-incarcerated Aboriginal population. This paper focuses on deaths by suicide within one geographical area. It identifies two factors, alcoholism and disruption of interpersonal attachments, which may play a causal role in male Aboriginal suicide. The sudden emergence of suicide in this partial descent population, in concert with suicides among incarcerated and non-incarcerated Aborigines elsewhere, suggests that socio-historical forces must be examined to further clarify the phenomenon.

Language: en