[Symposium 18] Concept of death and culture

[SY-18] Concept of death and culture

Kanako Shimizu¹, Marcos De Noronha², Yoshinori Cho³, Sergio J. Villaseñor-Bayardo⁴, Tsuyoshi Akiyama¹ (1.Rokubancho Mental Clinic(Japan), 2.Brazilian Association of Cultural Psychiatry(Brazil), 3.National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry(Japan), 4.Universidad de Guadalajara(Mexico))

While death takes place to all human beings in all cultures, how death is conceptualized and what happens when a person dies varies significantly. This symposium explores the dynamic interaction between the concept of death and culture. Kanako Shimizu presents prolonged grief disorder (PGD, ICD-11) and death concept in Japan. She introduces some cases of PGD in Japan and discusses the influence of death and the dead concepts in Japan from the ancient ages. Marcos De Noronha presents “A Perspective on the Concept of Death Among Brazilian Ethnic Groups.” Suicide is associated with sociocultural dynamics. Among some ethnic groups, the number of deaths by suicide exceeds the highest rates worldwide. He analyzes this fact and reflects on the concept of death. Yoshinori Cho presents “Consideration of the Japanese View of Life and Death in the Wake of the Surge in Suicides.” In Japan, social phenomena with a strong negative impact tend to cause a rapid increase in the suicide rate. Possibly, the psychological threshold for suicidal behavior is low among Japanese, which may be one characteristic of the Japanese view of life and death. It is a deep-rooted problem since the remnants of the seppuku (hara-kiri) culture and religious views are thought to be involved in its formation. Sergio J. Villaseñor-Bayardo presents “The concept of death among Mexicans.” To fully understand the current conception of death among Mexicans, one must go back in time. In pre-Hispanic times, the Nahua people stood out for their sophisticated view of life and death. Regarding the times, it is not easy to describe the many Mexican traditions that celebrate the Day of the Dead. The creators of offerings to the dead, also called “altars to the dead,” may be actually celebrating life. Could these rituals intensely prolong life in the proximity of death?