Baltic suicide paradox

Suicide is the most extreme form of self-destructive behaviour. The mystery of suicides attracted mankind to search causes of suicide mortality at all times and in all societies. During the last 50 years most research into suicide has been conducted in countries with steady democracy and market economy, and where no dramatic societal changes have taken place. In contrast, in the present issue the reader will find an insight into the sociological and psychological aspects dealing with suicide frequency in the Baltic countries Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which have experienced dramatic social upheaval during the last 30 years. The falls and rises of suicide curves coincide with the rapid socio-political and economic changes calling for high adaptation capacity in all post-soviet countries. It is found that suicide in Eastern European countries varied widely and the same causes cannot apply to all of them, however, the relation between suicide mortality and social processes is obvious. This book presents a collection of ideas and explanations from well-known researchers about suicide in the Baltic countries on the background of the former Soviet Union, its satellites and Western Europe.