Remains - to live and die in Slovenia

“Nothing in my life has ever made me want to commit suicide more than people’s reaction to my trying to commit suicide.” – Emilie Autumn

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Among two million Slovenians, one would have a difficulty finding a person who does not have any kind of relation to the issue of suicide in the country. 

It was only in the year 2014 when the suicide count dropped below 400 for the first time – that being forty years since records of suicides began. 338 recorded suicides took place in Slovenia that year.

325 were men and 63 women.

A year before there were 448 recorded suicides – many more than any previous years. List is long: General services, industry and construction and other leading economic fields in Slovenia were severely hurt during Eurozone crisis in 2000, resulting in 558 recorded suicides. Yet the issue remains a taboo in society.

The big majority, about 80% of those who attempt suicide are male in their middle age, mostly those who lost business and financial safety during the economic crisis which continues in Slovenia. Various NGOs have been involved in suicide prevention activities for over two decades offering psychological assistance as well as help phone lines.

Some of the cases remain unsolved, sometimes end up veiled as traffic accidents while others cases are closed as suicides. Most of those are committed by hanging oneself or jumping from heights or as a tragic consequence of a murdering a family member and committing a suicide immediately after the crime.

In past when Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia a notorious “Suicide Club” existed with members enlisting in the secretive club. When a predecessor member on the list has committed suicide, the next member on the list of the secretive club had to take his life.

– This is an ongoing project researching and documenting the suicide issues in Slovenia. –