title: [Suicide: a medico-historical exploration].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The recent rise of suicide rates internationally clearly indicates that the medical profession needs to give more attention to suicidality.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To construct a medico-historical framework for the concepts of suicide and suicidality.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study is based on articles referred to in PubMed and on the historical literature.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Throughout history, the legal, stoic, medical, and sociological perspectives have all left their own unique stamp on the conceptualisation of suicide and suicidality.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Recent initiatives in the Netherlands such as 113Online and the Multi-disciplinary guideline for diagnosis and treatment of suicidal behaviour constitute apt responses to the alarming rise of suicide rates, but it is not clear to what extent these initiatives will be able to counterbalance the interpersonal and social-economic mechanisms which appear to have determined suicide rates in the course of history.
authors.affiliation: Parnassia Groep, Kiwistraat. jd.blom@parnassia.nl
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Blom
mesh_terms: D049668:History, 15th Century; D049669:History, 16th Century; D049670:History, 17th Century; D049671:History, 18th Century; D049672:History, 19th Century; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D059020:Suicidal Ideation; D013405:Suicide / Q000266:history* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*