The Suicide of Ajax: a Note on Occupational Strain as a Neglected Factor in Suicidology (IN: Suicide and the Creative Arts, edited by S Stack & D Lester)

This chapter illustrates the utility of applying insights from one of the oldest surviving portrayals of suicide in art, that of the Greek warrior Ajax. It tests a hypothesis, based on this case, that occupational strain contributes to suicide risk. Analysis is based on data from 15,739 psychological autopsies done in the contemporary United States. It demonstrates that of a variety of occupational strains, job demotion is a leading independent predictor of suicide. Other leads from artistic works are mentioned as points of departure for future investigations. (11 refs.)