Prevention of Suicidal Acts in the Context of Social Security

Abstract

This paper presents some basic opinions about suicide as a phenomenon, discusses potential influence of social changes on phenomenon of suicide, and also suggests the establishment of some new security strategies which include a more efficient social care and prevention of suicide, with the aim to create a safer social environment in our country. Epidemiology and characteristics of suicide in the Una-Sana Canton from 1992-2008 are also researched and presented in this paper. Decrease of life standard, poverty, unemployment, social isolation, traumatic events from the war, political conflicts, exposure to violence in a family in our society additionally create existential insecurity and anxiety. The underestimation of the number of suicides in our society is a consequence of perception of a suicide as an individual act of a deranged person, as well as neglection of social factors as a risk. A suicide is a serious health and social problem, and therefore demands more attention. "Tendency" to completely "liberate" the community from psychological and social maladjustment of its members has deep roots in our society. The paradox is in the fact that according to definition an individual, in order to be healthy, must adapt to existing social environment, with frequently produce disarranged system of values, conflicts, difficulties, misunderstanding, insecurity, and different forms of social injustice, what implies a big effort to be put by an individual to adapt to something which is not good. Will the society respond simply in a way to find these persons "unadapted", those who did not succeed to adjust to current sick social relations, because it is easier to blame an individual rather than a social system that produces anomalies; or the society will seriously think about possible causes and consequences of such manifestations.

Suicidal act, considered as a part of social pathology, implies a social responsibility and care for elimination (prevention) of social facts that lead to a suicide. Therefore, among others, it is necessary to have an alternative to the existing safety policy and articulation of new strategies, which include a more efficient prevention of social-pathological problems. The results of the work on this paper indicate that there is a need for additional research in certain regional areas, in order to analyze and determine possible aetiology of differences.