Vital role of cultural and religious context on suicidal behavior

In a recent issue of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Russell et al. well described cultural influences on suicide in Japan.1 Cultural factors, such as the custom of respectable suicide, can influence the suicide rate.1 It is important to know the cultural and religious context of different areas in a multiethnic society. The impact of culture on suicide is challenging. Culture influences suicide and suicidal methods. There are different laws in different countries that can affect the prevention or incidence of suicide. In a multiethnic society, the various cultures of different ethnic groups result in different attitudes towards suicide.2 Eastern and Western cultures have different viewpoints on the end of life. For example, Eastern cultures have historically viewed suicide as an act of nobility and self-sacrifice, whereas Western values have typically associated it with embarrassment and fearfulness; both views are influenced by cultural background.3 There have been various discussions about the impact of religion on suicide. Historically, Protestants and Jews have had more suicides compared to Roman Catholics.4 Religion in Western society is more of a preventive factor compared with that in Eastern society. For example, Brazil and South Africa have a particularly strong relation between religiosity and suicide, but India and Vietnam do not.5 Also, spirituality and religiosity play a preventive factor for African Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans. Spiritual leaders in these ethnic groups can thus play an important role in the prevention of suicide.6 Religion plays an overall protective role against completed suicide, but the individual and the society at large can affect a protective relationship.3 The effect of religion and culture on suicide is complex. Risk factors for suicide are multifactorial. Suicide rates and risk factors vary among different regions based of religion and cultural contexts, especially in multiethnic societies. Understanding the religious and cultural context of an ethnic group can help to prevent suicide. Future work needs to assess religious influences and the level of suicidal risk in various cultures and the special mechanisms between culture and a decrease in suicidal risk factors. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.