J Korean Med Assoc.  2012 Apr;55(4):329-334. 10.5124/jkma.2012.55.4.329.

Why do suicide and depression occur?

• Park YC
• Park SC

• KMID: 1785366
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5124/jkma.2012.55.4.329

Abstract

As suicide deaths have been rapidly increasing among the Korean people, the clinical conditions associated with suicide including major depressive disorder (MDD) have also been in the public eye for decades. Thus we discuss the relationship between suicide and depression from the psychosocial perspective. Because the introjected aggression or hostility may be essential psychodynamic factors in suicide and depression, the clinical psychiatrist's or psychotherapist's empathy may be the important psychotherapeutic method in the recovery of object relationships or relieving suicidal patients' self-destructive tendencies. Although various and diverse psychological features have been suggested as the predictive factors of suicide, they have not yet been demonstrated by any statistical models. Psychiatrists should be aware that suicide or suicidal behaviors might be strongly associated with sociocultural background in Korea. Further research may be needed in the area of the relationship among suicide, depression, and sociocultural correlates.

Keyword

Depression; Suicide; Hostility; Empathy; Acculturation

MeSH Terms

Acculturation
Aggression
Depression
Depressive Disorder, Major
Empathy
Eye
Hostility
Korea
Models, Statistical
Object Attachment
Psychiatry
Suicide

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