Citation

Martínez AAB. Rev. Hosp. Psiquiatrico Habana 2017; 14(1).

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, Hospital Psiquiatrico de la Habana)

DOI

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PMID

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Abstract

Introduction. Suicide is a social phenomenon which increases in all regions all over the world. Nevertheless, theoretical and methodological efforts have given priority in an uncritical way to the identification and characterization of what is considered risk factors. Consequently, this article attempts to show the reaches and limitations of this risk approach, as well as some premises to give a perspective both alternative and complementary for comprehension Methods. Different data bases, specialized journals on this topic, Google Academic Searcher, and up-dated representative information from the geographical point of view were used Development. A contextualized characterization of the risk approach in the study of suicide was carried out. The limitations of this approach within statistics as a discipline as well as its applications to understand health as a social process were identified. Consequently, some theoretical premises were proposed to understand suicide.

CONCLUSIONS. Understanding suicide is to go beyond the prevention of the act of suicide in itself. We need to understand the historical way we are living our lives. Health sciences need to articulate trans- disciplinary knowledge about the relationship between individual and society; between what is biological and what is social to achieve this understanding. The task goes beyond the field of the clinic and even beyond the academy, because it implies to reconsider the way we relate ourselves daily.

Language: es

Keywords

Neoliberalism; Risk factors; Suicide