Suicide of Women: an Extreme Condition?

Abstract

Suicide, understood as a social fact, can be considered an extreme situation that represents a way out of an intense and unbearable suffering. This text reflects on the fragility of gender present in the life stories of women who committed suicide in cities in southern Brazil. Qualitative study that is part of a larger study entitled "It's possible to prevent the advance of the end? elderly suicide in Brazil and possibilities of health sector". The data were constructed using the technique of psychosocial autopsy trying to understand the life histories and factors related to suicide. The main themes present in the life stories of suicide women were classified as gender vulnerability and suicide as an extreme situation. We believe that gender norms, interpersonal conflicts and economic problems arising from work and illness were present in the lives of these women.