Queen of the Netherland's sister wrote school thesis on suicide — 8 years later she ended her life

Earlier Thursday it was announced that Inés Zorreguieta, the younger sister of Queen Máxima of the Netherlands, had died in an apparent suicide. She was only 33.

Her body was found in her apartment in Buenos Aires late Wednesday night. It appeared that she hanged herself.

Zorreguieta was a civil servant for the Argentinian government in the Ministry of Social Development, a godmother of the queen’s youngest daughter, Princess Ariane, and youngest child of María del Carmen Cerruti Carricart and the late Jorge Zorreguieta, who died just a year ago.

It is also believed that she had suffered from depression and eating disorders in the past. In 2012, she spent time in a mental health clinic.

It now appears that she had struggled for a long time with thoughts of suicide. In 2010, while she attended the University of Belgrano in Buenos Aires, Zorreguieta wrote a thesis centered on suicide in order to receive her psychology degree.

In “Gender differences and their relation to suicide and related behaviors,” Zorreguieta examined why women take their own lives.

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte told the Guardian, “The sudden death of Queen Máxima’s sister comes as a big shock. It is intensely sad and heartbreaking news that can hardly be comprehended by those who stay behind. With our hearts and our thoughts, we are with the queen and her family. I wish them all the strength necessary to carry this horrible loss together. And I trust that they will get the peace and space for that.”

If you or anyone you know needs help, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).

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