Genealogy of suicidal problematic. From the myths of world's creation and of corporal topography to psychoanalytic approach of suicide

The concept of suicide, because of its suffix-cide, becomes to law's theory, like the term of homicide. The author proposes to describe the long advance from religious to psychoanalytic theories about suicide, which gives to psychiatrists and psychologists of emergency units a real legitimacy to think and treat suicidal crisis. Suicidal problematic leans actually prolong in psychoanalytical theory, particularly with the Freudian concepts of Nirvana principle and Super-ego. Suicidal ideation could proceed by the Nirvana principle, suicide can be considered as an attack against the Super-ego. (C) 2008 Elsevier Masson SAS. Tous droits reserves.