Suicide and related behaviour in Dostoyevsky novels

Objective: To examine the presentations of suicide and related behaviour in the novels of Dostoyevsky, with a view to understanding suicide in mid-19^th Century Russia, and to use this as a point of reference when reading 21^st Century western academic suicide literature.

Methods: Dostoyevsky’s three most prominent novels, Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov were examined for the text events, 1) completed suicide, 2) suicide attempts, 3) suicidal thoughts, and 4) other mentions of suicide. Findings were compared with current orthodox Western medical literature.

Results: In Dostoyevsky’s Russia suicide occurred not infrequently and the methods were hanging, shooting and drowning. The triggers were predominantly social factors (in contrast to the current time when the triggers are reported to be predominantly mental disorders). Attempted suicide appears to have been less common than suicide, and limited to occasions when others thwarted deadly actions (in contrast to the current time in which overdose and cutting are frequently encountered). Suicidal thoughts were common among the healthy population (which is in agreement with some current findings).

Conclusions: To examine the presentations of suicide and related behaviour in the novels of Dostoyevsky, with a view to understanding suicide in mid-19^th Century Russia, and to use this as a point of reference when reading 21^st Century western academic suicide literature.