Ever since Durkheim published his famous report into suicide in 1897, sociologists have been interested in the issue. While there is still disagreement regarding the merits or otherwise of Durkheim’s research methods and analysis, there is one point of agreement — the study of suicide should take a societal, rather than an individual approach. In other words, suicide should not be treated simply as the tragic outcome of a purely individual decision — societal and cultural factors should also be taken into account.
The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that approximately 1 million people each year die from suicide. This represents a global suicide rate of 16 people per 100,000, or one death every 40 seconds. The WHO predicts that on current trends, by 2030 this will rise to one death every 20 seconds. In the last 45 years, global suicide rates have increased by 60%, and suicide is now one of the three leading causes of death among both men and women aged 15–44.
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