Increased suicide rate before and during the war in southwestern Croatia

This paper analyzes the impact of war, with special regard for the intensity of changes in the suicide rate in wartime in the southwestern region of Croatia. The investigated region has an area of 7,993 km2 with a population of 322,964. Most of the population lives in the city of Rijeka, the regional center.

During the 10-year period from 1986-1995, a total of 4,172 deaths were investigated at the Institute of Forensic Medicine in Rijeka. Official reports based on forensic autopsies performed on the corpses note 602 cases of suicide, which have been confirmed by police investigation and forensic examination. As the investigated 10-year period encompasses two distinctly specific intervals-the peacetime 1986-1990 interval and wartime 1991-1995-the differences in respective quantitative and qualitative features of suicides during these two intervals were analyzed.

A total of 262 suicides were committed in peacetime at the rate of 16.22/100,000 inhabitants, as opposed to 340 suicides in wartime at a rate of 19.61/100,000 inhabitants. This increase in the wartime suicide rate was primarily due to the 83% increase in the number of suicide victims <40 years of age. The number of suicides by firearms in wartime was almost fourfold the number in peacetime.

Wartime conditions had a direct impact on the change of quantitative and qualitative features of suicides.