title: Attitudes towards suicide in Slovenia: a cross-sectional survey.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Slovenia has been experiencing a very high suicide rate (30 per 10,000 inhabitants per year or higher) and there are no data on public attitudes towards suicide in Slovenia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To identify public attitudes towards suicide in order to expand the basis for prevention.
  
  
  METHODS
  A Suicide Attitudes Questionnaire (SUIATT) was sent to a representative sample of adult Slovenian citizens.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Some 5.2% of respondents had at least one previous suicidal attempt and 21.6% reported suicidal ideation (SI). More respondents with SI than respondents without SI reported: 1) the suicidal act as deliberated, 2) less importance attached to the mental illness in suicidal behaviour, 3) that a person has the right to commit suicide, and 4) the suicidal act as an act of cowardice.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results do not allow a general statement whether attitudes towards suicide are permissive or restrictive. However, in the subgroup of respondents with SI we found a tendency towards permissiveness regarding suicide.
authors.affiliation: University Psychiatric Hospital, Ljubljana-Polje, Slovenia. marga.kocmur@psih-klinika.si
authors.forename: Marga
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kocmur
authors.forename: Mojca Z
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Dernovsek
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001294:Attitude to Health; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011639:Public Opinion; D017524:Slovenia; D013405:Suicide / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D000092864:Suicide Prevention