This is territory that might yield up clues for the increasing number of suicides worldwide. It does seem to be the case that suicide increases when the beliefs which sustain any particular society suddenly weaken or crumble away entirely. In the case of both Ireland and Russia the suicide rate rose as the fundamental assumptions which determined how these societies were organised came under challenge and were overturned. The same phenomenon can be observed in other countries experiencing rapid change. Perhaps the truth is that there is a need to believe in something (exactly what is not necessarily the point) and that if that faith is undermined some individuals experience a spiritual disorientation that leaves them more prone to suicide. This would hold good as much for the rich man suddenly reduced to penury by a stock market crash as for the cradle communist confronted by the abrupt implosion of his creed. And it might give us pause for thought as we ponder what belief sustains our own society.