Around 500 suicides committed in BiH this year

SARAJEVO, (Patria) - Around 500 people commit suicide annually in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with poverty and unemployment being the most common "triggers".

Zenica-Doboj Canton and Sarajevo Canton have recorded the highest number of suicides since the beginning of this year, according to research by BHT journalists.

According to data from the Federal Police Administration, 76 cases of suicide were recorded in the Federation of BiH in the first five months of this year. In terms of gender, 59 men and 17 women committed suicide.

On the other hand, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska states that 91 people have committed suicide since the beginning of the year.

"Behind all these suicides lies a depressive state - about 80 percent, five to 15 percent are substance abuse, which is also present in adolescents, and very rarely, only about ten percent are due to various mental health problems or disorders," says Irina Rizvan, head of the project "Mental Health in BiH".

Every suicidal case has a history of problems, and each is accompanied by psychopathy and depression syndromes. Withdrawal, feelings of guilt, reduced verbal communication with the environment are some of the symptoms that the environment can influence.

Čedomir Novaković, a psychologist, says that in many people in post-war or areas frequently exposed to various natural disasters, psychological resilience or stability is declining.

"It is expected that in such environments and situations, the number of suicidal cases will increase," emphasizes Novaković.

Records of risk factors in primary school-aged children in our country are almost non-existent.

"We do not have an obligation in the school system, or in the daily routine of school professional services, to register so-called victimogenic predispositions, which are an early warning system for potential problems a child might have," says Elmedin Muratbegović from the Faculty of Criminal Justice in Sarajevo, BHT reports.