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Chapter 7 - Suicide and Violence

from Section 2 - Specific Challenges in Preventing Suicide

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  18 December 2025

Rob Poole
Affiliation:
Bangor University
Murad M. Khan
Affiliation:
Aga Khan University
Catherine A. Robinson
Affiliation:
University of Manchester
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Summary

Suicide is not simply a typology of violence. All forms of violence are interrelated, and preventative action should tackle the common antecedents to all. Understanding what these are, and how they differ between regions and cultures, is key to developing effective violence prevention strategies that extend beyond suicide. In this chapter we discuss the relationship between suicide and other forms of violence including analysis of data from the World Health Organization. We then consider factors influencing volume and direction of violence including gender, poverty, drug and alcohol misuse, adverse childhood experiences, war, and natural disasters. Before finally moving on to preventative action that considers all forms of violence under the same framework. Throughout the chapter real-world examples will be given for important concepts with particular reference to self-immolation in South Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean Region as it is the authors’ area of research expertise.

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