Wally Barr
University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
War and Suicide. Hauppauge, New York: Nova Science Publishers, 2009, 306 pages.

This chapter reviews the international literature on suicide in wartime civilian populations and outlines common themes found across many different cultures. Variations in suicide rates are described and the discussion incorporates a critique of the major theoretical models offered to explain the dynamic behind these observed changes. Some of the weaknesses in the current literature are outlined along with an assessment of the obstacles and difficulties frequently encountered by researchers in seeking to gather and analyse accurate suicide data at times of war.