SUICIDE IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY: A CONTEMPORARY REVIEW OF THE THEORY OF ÉMILE DURKHEIM

Abstract

Suicide is a complex phenomenon and an urgency for public health and the social sciences, requiring an analytical approach that goes beyond the mere individual dimension. This research aimed to carry out a contemporary bibliographic review of the classical theory of Émile Durkheim, confronting it with current social dynamics and recent Brazilian academic production, in order to contribute to the advancement of sociological studies on the subject and subsidize public policies for prevention. The methodology used was a bibliographic review with a sociological focus, using the SciELO and Google Scholar databases. Data collection prioritized articles published between 1990 and 2025, using combinations of the keywords: suicide, Durkheim, anomie, and social integration. The findings of the review reaffirm the perennial validity of the Durkheimian proposition of suicide as a social fact, determined by the rates of integration (social ties) and regulation (norms) of society. This classic analysis results in the four types of suicide: selfish (low integration), altruistic (high integration), anomic (low regulation), and fatalistic (high regulation). However, in the contemporary setting, the theory is expanded to include a crisis of meaning and failure in the cultural narrative. The phenomenon is not only seen as a failure in social cohesion, but as a manifestation of anomie and existential emptiness, exacerbated by the pressure of neoliberal society and digital hyperconnection, which result in feelings of anguish and deep boredom. The study identifies the intensification of vulnerability in specific groups: university students, under strong academic and existential pressure; men, whose mental health is impacted by the failure to correspond to the rigid model of providing and invulnerable masculinity; and the elderly population, which registers worrying trends in mortality from external causes. Additionally, the research suggests the complementarity between the sociological analyses of Durkheim and Marx in the delimitation of the field of study. In conclusion, it is reiterated that suicide is preventable. Effective care requires overcoming social taboo and adopting a comprehensive care model that transcends the exclusive focus on mental illness. It is imperative that prevention policies actively consider the social and existential roots of suffering, promoting a reception that reflects the complexity of the individual in his or her social totality.