Airi Värnik, Merike Sisask and Peeter Värnik. Baltic Suicide Paradox

The mystery of suicide and increasing number of suicide victims in developed civilisations attracts researchers' interdisciplinary attention. The modern suicide research has been conducted mostly in countries with steady democracy and market economy without dramatic societal changes. In contrast, the present book gives an insight into the sociological and psychological aspects of suicide in the Baltic countries - Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, which have experienced dramatic social upheaval during the last 30 years. Sharp falls and rises of suicide curves coincide with the rapid socio-political and economic changes. A collection of ideas and explanations from wellknown researchers about suicide in the Baltic countries on the background of the former Soviet Union, its satellites and Western Europe will be found in this book.