%0 Journal Article %9 journal article %J Med Og Nauk Zdr. %@ 2083-4543 %V 23 %N 2 %D 2017 %F Kielan2017 %T Catholicism and suicidal behaviour in Poland %X Introduction The religion in which an individual is brought up has an impact on the development of the person’s identity, which is strongly related with the formation of positive patterns of psychological health. Suicidal attempt may be one of the consequences of disturbance of these psychological health patterns. Objective The aim of the presented study was a review of the scientific literature in the fields of: 1. mechanisms of shaping the identity of a person with particular regard to religious identity; 2. attitude of the Catholic Church towards the phenomenon of suicide; 3. influence of the Catholic religion on suicidal behaviour. Brief description of the stste of knowledge. According to the WHO statistics, over 800,000 people commit suicide annually, and a much greater number of people attempt to commit suicide. The Catholic Church considers suicide as a severe violation of the Fifth Commandment of the Decalogue; however, it does not condemn the victim. According to the Catholic Church, the person who attempts to take own life is mentally unbalaced, because this act is unnatural and against the natural human desire to live. Religiosity may decrease the risk of underaking suicidal behaviours. Summary The Church plays an important role in theprevention of suicidal behaviours, as well as in post-intervention. It is necessary to consider the role of the Church in helping people with suicidal tendencies, and the most effective use of the potential of Catholicism to prevent self-destructive behaviour. %A Kielan, Aleksandra %A Bąbik, Katarzyna %A Cieślak, Ilona %A Dobaczewska, Paula %P 158-164 %R 10.26444/monz/74271 %U https://doi.org/10.26444/monz/74271