Bibinje in Shock: 12 Suicides Since the Start of the Year
Residents have canceled all holiday programs and gathered for a joint prayer. Dr. Darko Labura warns of a combination of depression, alcohol, drugs, and the Werther effect.
Residents have canceled all holiday programs and gathered for a joint prayer. Dr. Darko Labura warns of a combination of depression, alcohol, drugs, and the Werther effect.
In Bibinje, as many as 12 suicides have been recorded since the beginning of the year, with the latest tragic case occurring in mid-August when a young resident took his own life. The news has shaken the entire community, which this year observed the feasts of the Assumption and St. Roch with restraint, without the usual entertainment.
The Mayor of Bibinje Municipality, Šime Sekula, announced via the official Facebook page that all planned entertainment and music programs, concerts, and fireworks have been canceled. "Due to the tragic loss of a young life, Bibinje is shrouded in grief and silence," Sekula wrote.
Residents gathered for a joint prayer in front of the Crljenica sports center, led by the local parish priest, Father Valter Kotlar. The priest revealed that the initiative came spontaneously from the faithful.
"Unfortunately, when such things happen, they happen in waves, as if encouraging people who are in crisis or borderline situations. All I could do was bring people together more intensely for prayer, and such initiatives also started on their own among the faithful. There is nothing left but to fold our hands and pray. Through joint prayer, we somehow became stronger, more united."
Father Valter Kotlar added that both stands at the sports ground were filled for the joint prayers and that he was moved and surprised by the number of people who gathered. He also emphasized that his door at the parish office is open to all, including those who have attempted suicide or committed it.
"My door at the parish office is open to all people; that is why we exist as priests; it is one of our primary tasks. It is not uncommon for people to seek help, including those who have attempted suicide and those who have committed it. Sometimes I truly feel that we are too few. I am neither educated nor capable enough to help, but I can always listen to a person."
Dr. Darko Labura, a retired Zadar specialist in psychiatry and subspecialist in forensic psychiatry, spoke on the topic of suicide for Zadarski list. He explains that suicides are among the priority public health problems in Croatia and are one of the leading causes of mortality in the 15 to 29 age group.
In Dalmatia, the rate ranges from 7.5 to 10 suicides per 100,000 inhabitants, with similar values for Zadar County. Men commit suicide three times more often than women, but women attempt it four times more often without succeeding. The number of suicides is about three times higher in those over 65.
"What may be an indicator for suicides in Bibinje is the general increase in suicides in the 15 to 24 age group, which is 65 percent higher than the general trend. This is linked to alcohol and psychoactive substance abuse. The leading cause of suicide is psychiatric disorders in 90 percent of cases. Of these, depression, either as an isolated illness or as part of bipolar disorder, is the cause in 60 percent of suicide cases. Alcohol and drug abuse accounts for 15 percent of suicide cases."
Dr. Labura emphasizes that the causes of severe mental illness are not the reasons for the increased number of suicides in Bibinje; rather, they should be sought in a combination of depression as a reactive state and alcohol and drug abuse, which is certainly on the rise. He also warns of an increase in gambling addiction, which can lead to financial losses and consequently suicidality, especially in combination with alcohol and psychoactive substances.
The psychiatrist particularly stressed the importance of polysubstance abuse and comorbidity with other addictions, alcohol, gambling, depression, and disrupted social relationships. More would be known if each suicide were analyzed individually, according to personality traits, age, gender, and psychiatric disorder.
In 1938, the renowned American psychiatrist Karl Menninger included alcohol and drug abuse in the category of chronic suicide. Dr. Labura also warns of the Werther effect, i.e., imitative mechanisms of suicidal behavior, citing the example of rock star Kurt Cobain's suicide in 1994, which triggered a series of suicidal behaviors among younger populations in the U.S.
"Publicity of suicide, whatever it may be, can create the idea that it is normal, and can lead a vulnerable person to commit suicide."
In Croatia, there is a downward trend in suicides over a 30-year period, with the highest numbers recorded in 1987 and 1992. Despite this, the Bibinje case shows how important the attention of the entire community is to mental health and prevention.
