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Describes a key informant survey done in Ecuador that shows that the rate of suicide in a rural area of the Andes is much higher than what is usually reported for regions with similar characteristics. Discusses the usually low rates of suicides in Third World countries' official records; Reasons for these low rates; Marital and family conflicts; Discussion and conclusion.

In highland Ecuador, pena refers to a state of mind characterized by a mixture of sadness and anxiety as well as to an illness state resembling depression. This paper attempts to illustrate, through an analysis of the discourse on pena, how the ideology in which it is embedded serves to interpret a bodily problem at the same time as it reflects a more global attitude toward life. In essence, the folk theory states that the physical complaints caused by suffering are the result of a disturbance of the heart, the central organ of man, and of the emotional life which it controls. Because this suffering is often attributed to the immediate family group of the victim, the community at large often formulates accusations against one of its members. Though the therapy is limited to a cure of the symptoms through herbal remedies, a formal request can be made to a perceived wrongdoer to amend his behavior. The pena is also a state which can lead to colerin, a dangerous and sometimes lethal illness which is characterized by a sudden explosion of anger or madness and which will follow an unattended state of pena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pena or llaqui in the Quechua area of Ecuador refers to a state of sadness and depression experienced following a variety of life events. This paper tries to explain why there is an elaborate discourse on such feelings in this culture. It is argued that the Quechuas stress the ideal of social reciprocity in human encounters and are accordingly sensitive to disturbances in social relationships. We observe that they pay a great deal of attention to the victim of pena and that they try to improve relationships with the social network and the family. The indigenous theory on pena also points to the importance of bodily elements closely associated to the psychological conditions. We conclude that knowledge of status relationships are important to understand the emotions experienced when loss occurs.