“The head is full of anxious thoughts, the heart is pounding. I study until four in the morning, but the pile of homework keeps growing.”

As mental health cases continue to rise across the globe, largely spurred on by the Coronavirus pandemic, Estonian clinical Gestalt psychotherapist, Kaire Talviste, explains what exactly is causing such a spike in mental health related issues within Baltic societies. Kaire, who is also an author of self-help books, believes that “psychosocial stress and lack of social contacts” are the primary reasons of why the Baltic nations sorrowfully experience some of the world’s highest rates of suicide. The Baltic Times Magazine caught up with Kaire Talviste to gain a further understanding about mental health both on a societal and personal level.