Unemployment and suicide among the Brazilian population in the crisis of capitalism

Abstract

The current crisis of capitalism has multiple economic, financial, social, environmental, cultural and political facets. In Brazil, the severity of the crisis is no different, resulting from the exhaustion of the neo-developmentalist model and its inability to resist global crisis. This study compares suicide mortality rates (MR) among employed and unemployed persons in Brazil prior to and during the economic crisis using death records from the period 2011 to 2016. The findings show that in the period 2011 to 2016 the suicide MR fell from 2.66/100,000 to 2.46 among unemployed persons and increased from 5.52/100,000 to 6.89/100,000 in employed persons. Suicide is a complex, multi-causal phenomenon determined by a diverse range of social factors, including strategies that increase worker exploitation. Indeed, being employed can have a greater negative impact on the mental health of workers than being unemployed.

Key words:
Crisis of capitalismo; Economic crisis; Unemployment; Precarious work; Suicide