ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how social adversity and psychological pain interact in this model and helps in a better understanding of suicidal process at individual level. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates about 1.5 million deaths by suicide per year worldwide by 2020. If suicide is a major health problem in occidental countries, it is not yet the case in developing countries. On one hand, it cannot be excluded that it is due to the lack of epidemiological data. On other hand, it could suggest that economic expansion may be associated with increased suicidal risk because it exposes more people to crisis and bankruptcy. A recent series of publications in high-ranking scientific journals have examined the impact of the current economic recession on suicide rates in European populations. The global prison population in 2008 was estimated at 9.8 million with a median rate of imprisonment of 145 prisoners per 100,000 persons, most of whom are aged between 18 and 44 years.
