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Three Indonesians Fight To Stem A Rise In Suicide
We should know that if the story comes from Japan, it is by no means news. But it has come from Jakarta, and it has to do with an increase in the number of suicides committed by residents of Indonesia's sprawling capital of Jakarta.
Alarmed by a rising number of reported suicides in Jakarta--from 89 in 2008 to 102 last year--three Jakarta residents, all were psychology majors, met to discuss ways to help suicide-prone people.
After having an online discussion with their colleagues and their former professors in the Psychology department at the University of Indonesia, they decided to set up a telephone hotline, 021 9696 9293, and Web blog, www.janganbunuhdiri.net, to help people with mental problems, their relatives, and friends discuss suicidal issues. (Jangan bunuh diri means "do not commit suicide" in English.)
"Nearly all people at one time in their life thought they would rather not live than have to deal with complicated personal problems," posted Tiwin Herman, who set up the blog with Harez Posma Sinaga and Posma Roland Simatupang.
They write on the blog that such thoughts or behavior shocks and confuses friends and relatives. The blog, which will serve as a forum for exchanging views and firsthand knowledge about suicide, is expected to help people understand the suicide phenomenon better and keep people from committing suicide.
The three suggest on their blog that Jakarta's reported suicide number is only the tip of the iceberg. Quoting a report by the World Health Organization (WHO), the blog states that there were 50,000 suicide attempts nationwide in 2005--137 suicide attempts daily. (Data for recent years have not been made available by the WHO.) The blog notes that judging by WHO data, Indonesia's suicide rate is not that far behind Japan and China--countries believed to be among those with the highest suicide rates in the world.
University of Indonesia psychology professor Sarlito Wirawan Sarwono suggests that financial pressures and the increasingly stressful life of a metropolitan area such as Jakarta contribute to the recent increase in the number of suicides in the capital.
In a recent Jakarta Globe news article, Posma Simatupang said that the telephone hotline and blog are expected to help people with suicidal tendencies, but who are either reluctant to seek professional help or are unable to afford it in order to cope with their problems.
Comments
It is mostly due the psychological pressure on the people they commit suicide.There should be proper program to work against it on international level.
It is really a good analysis from you.Thanks!
udage on April 13, 2011 12:33 AM
