for answers concerning suicide and suicide prevention.Sociological theories of suicide emphasize the role that society and culture play in this kind of self-destructive behaviour. Such theories generally focus on either social structures or social situations. The first sociologist to theorize on suicide and its sociological interpretations was Emile Durkheim. Durkheim worked during the late 1800s identifying social structures as the key determinant in self-destructive behaviour. In his work Suicide: A study in Sociology, Durkheim stated that suicide rates increase when a societys value system breaks down.2 Durkheim believed that the shared values of a society and the mechanisms in place that ensure that its members adhere to these values, is interpreted as a persons social structure. Durkheim suggested two basic factors in social structure that heavily influence the incidence of suicide. These are regulation and integration. He believed that an individual needs to become part of, and find direction in his own society. Without these factors in place, suicide becomes a common substitute. Teens are often anxious about fitting in to their society (especially among peer groups) so it is clear that integration is essential to adolescence. Durkheim also suggested that it is these two factors that define the relationship of the individual to society. Furthermore, it is precisely this relationship that stands as the underlying cause of suicide, especially among youth.Beyond these factors are two more typically studied characteristic forms of youth suicide. Again, it is either too much or too little social integration that tends to result in a suicidal adolescent. Intensely regulated societies tend to produce fatalistic suicides among young members of society. Many suicidal teens feel trapped while under excessive constraints or repressive rules. On the other hand are anomic suicides.3 These youth have much difficulty adjusting t...
