Suicide and attempted suicide in Greenland

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Abstract
Suicidal behavior in Eskimo populations has changed in pattern and quantity over the last decades. Rates have more than quadrupled and performers now are mainly young persons with obscure motivation. In a study from Greenland''s major township all cases of attempted or completed suicide among Greenlanders were analyzed for social, emotional, somatic and environmental predisposing factors in comparison with a non-psychiatric, nerver-suicidal, matching group. Almost 2/1000 of the adult population committed suicide yearly while attempts at suicide were 5 times as frequent. Often, a quarrelsome, drinking, childhood home background was found, at least as regards the attempters, who themselves frequently suffered from emotional conflicts with close contacts, alcohol affliction, criminality and instability at work. Neither bereavement, cross-cultural exposure, broken homes, nor meteorological factors seemed to exert a significant influence. The social and cultural evolution of the Greenlandic society was discussed.

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