Suicide, Society and Liveability

About this episode

The episode explores how social conditions influence the perception of life's worth through the lens of Durkheim's study and a current project on suicide prevention.

What does Émile Durkheim’s 1897 study of suicide tell us about the social conditions that shape whether life feels worth living and how does a current project add to our understanding? Laurie Taylor is joined by Alexander Oaten, from the University of Lincoln, and Sarah Huque, from the University of Edinburgh who are involved in Discovering Liveability: Co-producing Alternatives to Suicide Prevention - a seven-year Wellcome Trust funded collaboration. This sets out to challenge the way suicide prevention is usually framed. Rather than focusing on moments of crisis, the project asks a different question: how can we create societies in which life feels more liveable and what insights can you gain from people who have experienced suicidal thoughts? Producer: Natalia Fernandez Editor: Robyn Read If you’re suffering distress or despair and need support, including urgent support, a list of organisations that can help is available at bbc.co.uk/actionline

People in this episode

Host: Laurie Taylor

Guests: Alexander Oaten, Sarah Huque

Topics covered

• suicide
• social conditions
• liveability
• mental health
• society
• prevention

Keywords

• suicide
• Durkheim
• liveability
• mental health
• society
• prevention
• crisis
• Wellcome Trust

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: University of Lincoln, University of Edinburgh, Wellcome Trust

Books & works: Émile Durkheim’s 1897 study of suicide

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