The pain of being set free.(citizens of the Baltic states have a high suicide rate, and the rate has increased sharply since the fall of communism)(Brief Article)

From: The Economist (US) | Date: August 29, 1998 | Copyright information

ESTONIANS may have a thriving economy and be on the fast track to join the European Union, but(in one sense, at least(they are among the saddest people in Europe. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), they are three times more likely to commit suicide than, say, Germans or Swedes. Other Balts are just as gloomy. Indeed, Lithuania tops Europe's suicide league.

People in ex-communist countries in general kill themselves more often than others in Europe, and their suicide rate has soared since the fall of communism. In Lithuania, for example, the rate of suicide has ...

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