Social and Interpersonal Determinants of Suicide

In this course, Dr. Jon Jureidini (Professor, School of Medicine; Psychiatrist, Critical and Ethical Mental Health Research Group, University of Adelaide) offers a rationale for why we should regard suicide as a social problem rather than immediately medicalising it. Dr. Jureidini observes that large investments in mental health have not evidenced better mental health outcomes. Rather, they have coincided with rising levels of depression and more medications for depression. The appropriate interventions should not aim to decrease depression, but to increase community wellbeing. Measures identified include those public health measures which reduce access to lethal means, educational systems which promote curiosity and imagination within a relationship that includes pastoral care, and emergency departments and hospitals that understand that suicidal behaviour is a communication that should be heeded. Dr. Jureidini describes a South Australia peer-led program wherein those with suicidal feelings can speak with peers with the lived experience of suicidal feelings or behaviours. Developmental breakdowns and the potential danger of anti-depressant medications are also outlined.