Citation

Palo E, Värnik A, Kaulves K, Tooding LM, Schmidtke A, Wasserman D. Psychiatr. Danub. 2006; 18(Suppl 1): 60.

Affiliation

Suicidology Institute, Estonian Centre of Behavioural and Health Sciences, Oie 39, 11615 Tallinn, Estonia. ene.palo@mail.ee.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2006, Facultas Universitatis Studiorum Zagrabiensis - Danube Symposion of Psychiatry)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

16963951

Abstract

The study is based on data published by the WHO Health For All Database and on official mortality statistics of West and East Germany. The purpose of the study was to compare and analyse suicide trends in Europe by organising countries into three groups in accordance of their political, economic and social stability during 1980-2002, to find support to the hypothesis that alcohol restrictions have impact to suicide mortality. The group of the former USSR republics: Russia, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania had experienced the aspiration for freedom and also the major anti-alcohol policy introduced during years of perestroika (1985-1989). Suicide trends of that group have significant correlation and follow a similar S-shaped pattern over time. Fluctuation in the trends was more pronounced among males than females. In other Eastern Block countries (East and Central European satellites of the former USSR), where there were emotionally loaded socio-political changes, which did not correspond with a strict alcohol policy, considerably different suicide trends were observed. The slight downward linear time-trends of those countries were similar to the group of 'Old Europe' suicide curves, although rates varied markedly between the countries. In conclusion possible reasons of differences in suicide mortality in the Eastern and Western European countries will be discussed.

Language: en