Eight suicides have been recorded in Montenegro since the beginning of the year. Last year, 83 people took their own lives, which is 25 fewer than in 2023.
Despite the lower numbers, suicides are a serious, long-standing problem facing our society, while the prevention system is almost non-existent.
For this reason, the Ministry of Health is considering converting the telephone line, which until March 9 served as a psychological aid to citizens after the tragedy in Cetinje, into an SOS line for suicide prevention.
When someone takes their own life, we usually wonder why they did it. We rummage through the presumed emotions that led them to take such a step, we look for answers in the circumstances, and we ask whether the tragedy could have been prevented. Rarely, however, do we delve deeper into the problem and look for solutions to prevent such cases.
"Since the beginning of 2025, eight suicides have been registered in Montenegro, while 2024 were recorded during 83. During 2020, 109 suicides were registered, in 2021, 120 suicides were registered, in 2022, 121 suicides, in 2023, 108," the Police Directorate announced.
Despite the statistical decline in the number of suicides over the past five years, systematic prevention measures in Montenegro are almost non-existent. The Ministry of Health, however, is considering the possibility of converting the line, which served as psychological support for citizens during the Covid pandemic and after the tragedy in Cetinje, into an SOS line for suicide prevention.
"It is still too early to talk about the projections of the future uses of this line in terms of finality, but significant capacities have been invested in planning its conversion into a suicide prevention line," the Ministry of Health announced.
Although the hotline has been out of service since March 9 due to a low number of calls, the Ministry emphasizes that mental health experts are available to citizens at all three levels of healthcare.
During the two months of operation of the SOS line, psychologists recorded a thousand calls, which, as the ministry points out, clearly shows the need for such a support service.
This is confirmed by psychologist Branka Nikočević, who provided assistance to citizens through this line.
Her experience shows that a permanent SOS line for psychological help could play a key role in suicide prevention.
"We don't have a permanent service to provide support to people who have suicidal thoughts. So this would be something new, something that is happening for the first time and it would be good, so to speak, to start with the basics for working on this problem, which we are very much facing," said Nikočević.
The causes of suicide, according to psychologists, are often linked to mental disorders, emotional crises caused by losses and major life changes, trauma, stress, but also financial difficulties. Problems that seem insurmountable to a person with suicidal intentions are often solvable with adequate support.
Experts therefore emphasize the importance of access to psychological help, including the possibility of anonymous conversations with psychologists, which can be a key step towards preventing tragic outcomes.
"To somehow empower themselves, to accept that they can go outside their homes, call a professional and, in some way, express what is burdening them and bothering them, and what is somehow causing them difficulties in their daily functioning, and then receive guidance from a professional on what to do next," said Nikočević.
While experts emphasize that preventive psychological support is key in the fight against suicide, the question remains when Montenegro will receive a permanent SOS line for suicide prevention.
There remains hope that awareness of the importance of mental health will grow and that systemic protection measures will become available to all who need them.
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