[Comparative analysis of suicides in the Bydgoszcz region in the years 1977-1991 and 1991-2006]

An increasing number of suicide cases has been observed in everyday forensic practice. The same view is discernible in the perception of the general public. Data concerning this subject from the years 1991 to 2006 have been compiled and compared to the earlier investigations from the years 1977 to 1991. The comparative analysis allowed the authors to show a relatively reliable picture of suicides in the Bydgoszcz region. Many false beliefs and myths pertaining to the subject were disproved. The authors also presented the evolution in the approach of penal legislators to the issue of suicide.