Ignoring Societal Structure in Public Health Approaches to Suicide Prevention

In post-World War II America, theorists influenced by Karl Marx and Emile Durkheim warned that societal structures (e.g., economic, political, organizational) could fragment populations, breed alienation and normlessness (anomie), and increase risk for suicide.1-3 A popular book elaborated on this idea and influenced hospital administration.4 In the ensuing decades, a “culture of narcissism” has, arguably, further frayed the population5 and civic engagement has declined. 6 Yet scholarly interest in societal conceptions of disconnectedness has waned, largely due to the biomedicalization movement.

Source: The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry - February 1, 2021 Category: Geriatrics Authors: Paul R. Duberstein, Perry N. Halkitis Tags: Editorial Source Type: research