Gestor bibliográfico Crisis y Salud

Aaron Reeves and colleagues1 present interesting data about the association between suicides and economic recession in the USA. However, their analysis raises some questions. Can the increase in suicides be explained only by economic recession? And, if so, does this association exist in other countries? Reeves and colleagues argue that studies in other European countries (England and Greece) support their findings. However, the most drastic economic recession was not seen in the USA, Greece, or England, but in the Baltic states. In 2009, Estonia, Lithuania, and Latvia experienced the highest annual decline of gross domestic product in the European Union (-14·1%, ?14·8%, and ?17·7%, respectively).2 This economic freefall caused dramatic changes in salary policies, financing of health care, and unemployment. However, it has not been accompanied by an increase in mortality from suicides