Southeast on alert/ Suicide and attempts among young people

2025-06-11 13:21:00, Sociale CNA

A wave of suicides has hit the southeast of the country, shocking public opinion and raising deep questions about the psychological and social state of young Albanians.

Within just five days, three suicides and two other attempts have been recorded, all at a young age and with motives that still remain unclear to the authorities, but which sociologists link to a deep social and institutional crisis.

Sociologist Maria Deutsche calls this a shocking and alarming situation, where lack of stability, uncertainty about the future, and lack of psychological support are becoming key factors pushing young people towards fatal decisions.

" It has really been very shocking, especially in the last week because they are very young and it is a very short time for all these suicides. I would say that it shows a disorder of the social situation of the total function of the state, where suicides increase in those societies where there is no stability and security, where the individual feels insecure about solutions to life's problems ," said Deutsch.

According to her, the age of the victims and those who have attempted suicide is another worrying indicator. They are young people who are unable to cope with the pressure, challenges and disappointments that life presents them.

" The age group is another indicative factor, besides social destabilization, this age group shows that we are not properly guiding young people, we do not have proper counseling and providing those barriers and strong roots of self-confidence, courage and risk. This age group shows that our youth is fragile, unable to overcome the challenges that life faces and often leads to fatalities that are prohibitive and morally reprehensible because we must learn to seek help, go to psychologists, and have more frequent counseling centers in our circles ," the sociologist said.

Deutsche also addresses the strong stigma that Albanian society has towards seeking psychological help. She emphasizes that even where services exist, they are few, inadequate, and often ignored by citizens due to mentality.

" I see that this lack not only of counseling centers and counseling psychologists in the cities where we live, while on the other hand we are still in a taboo that we should turn to relevant experts such as psychologists and sociologists who should properly orient young people towards the path they should follow to find solutions and not go towards fatalities ," said sociologist Deutsch.

Among other things, sociology makes a strong appeal to young people who are experiencing emotional problems and are at a "crossroads" in their lives.

" I would appeal to all young Albanians, do not hesitate to seek counseling, go to psychologists and sociologists and overcome any concerns, no matter how small, in a fair and appropriate manner. Emotions at this age are fragile because they are the first feelings that young people experience, they create sympathy and the moment these feelings are expected and disappointed, they often turn into fatalities ," the sociology appeals.

She appeals for a return to attention on youth, for investments in psychological counseling in schools, for emotional education and for families to engage in the emotional lives of their children. Sociologia underlines that there are signals that parents should not ignore such as insomnia, isolation, nervousness, lack of communication, leaving home.

All of these are signs that should be watched carefully and addressed responsibly.

" Many young people today have fallen prey to narcotics. The inability to get out of this situation and find a different solution leads them to fatality. Suicide is not the solution. The two key points and the two basic institutions that overcome these problems are the family and the school. The family is the one that first reveals the emotional state of the child. If a parent is not careful to see what their child is experiencing, if they are nervous, have insomnia, come late at night, self-isolate and avoid contact with family members, all these are signs that parents should be concerned about ," says Deutsch.

Recent events are not just individual cases, but signals of a deeper societal illness. It is time for immediate intervention, concrete policies, and a reorientation of attention towards the mental health of young people.

Two 20-year-olds from Pogradec and Korça, as well as a 38-year-old from Maliqi, have ended their lives by hanging. In addition, two suicide attempts have also been reported./ CNA