Neuropsychiatry specialist, Prof. Dr. Osman Sinanovic, believes that Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has a high degree of traumatized population, which has been the case since the last war, and poor mental health (including the risk of suicide) along with an unstable political situation and a high level of unemployment, is additionally favored by the economic crisis caused in the world.
”Already at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, a negative impact on mental health, including suicidal behavior, has been observed, with the expectation that this impact will be present for a longer period of time and that it will peak later than the actual pandemic,” Sinanovic emphasized.
Whether we have an increased suicide rate is difficult to say without reliable statistical data over a certain period, for example, several years before the COVID-19 pandemic and during the pandemic that is still ongoing.
”Scientific and professional studies show that the COVID-19 pandemic is associated with agitation, anxiety, depression, and insomnia in the general population. Psychiatric conditions, including mood, anxiety, sleep, and drug use disorders, are associated with suicidal behavior,” he added.
He noted that health authorities and health professionals must pay more attention to the mental health of the population because it is known that without mental health there is no health in general.
Moreover, Prof. Dr. Sinanovic pointed out that studies in the United States (U.S.) suggest that more than 90 percent of suicide victims have a psychiatric disorder, and depression is the main risk factor for suicide, accounting for up to 60 percent of suicide deaths.
