EpidemioLogy and Psychiatric MORBIDITY in Suicide Attempters at the Poison ControL Center, Ain S Hams•University HospitaLs

Abstract

Suicide is a complex problem for which there is no single cause or single reason. It results from complex interaction of • biological, genetic, psychological, social, cultural and environmental factors. It is difficult to explain why some people decide to commit suicide while others, in a similar or even worse situation, do not (WHO, 2002).

In the last decades scientific output on the subject of suicide has taken on a prevailing technical-realistic approach. Following this path, the majority of studies have sought to identify risk factors, which has implied in separating suicide into multiple variables at biological, psychological, and social levels. Apparently, these studies have not been able to produce any changes in the increasing suicide trends seen in many countries (Menegle et al, 2004).

The definition of suicide differs depending on the era, author or theory. Society's attitude has varied throughout history. When Psychiatry appeared in the nineteenth century, it medicalized the problem. First with Esquirol in 1838, followed by Delmas in 1932. Whereas Durkheim defended the sociological position presented in the form of a law: the percentage of suicides increases in inverse proportion to the social integration of the individual (Barbier, 2001).