Suicide and alcohol psychoses in Belarus 1970-2005

Background: The relationship between alcohol and suicide is well documented. The research evidence suggests an important role for a cultural and social context in the alcohol-suicide association. Purpose: To estimate the aggregate level effect of alcohol consumption on the suicide rate in Slavic culture. Method: Trends in the suicide and alcohol-psychoses morbidity rate in the former Soviet Slavic republic of Belarus from 1970 to 2005 were analyzed employing an ARIMA, time-series analysis. Results: The results of the analysis suggest a close association between the suicide and alcohol-psychoses morbidity rate. Conclusion: This study replicates previous findings that highlighted a close link between alcohol and suicide at the aggregate level. The results of this study also suggest that alcohol is responsible for the fluctuation of the suicide rate in the former Soviet republic of Belarus during the last decades.