Breaking the Silence: Addressing the Rise of Teenage Suicide Cases in Indonesia

The rise of suicide cases experienced by teenagers lately often appears on social media. The issue of mental health problems should receive more attention from various groups. Data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health in 2018 states that at least 1 in 16 people aged 15 and over is diagnosed with depression. If this situation continues to be ignored, it is feared that the case will increase over time. But unfortunately, people lack awareness of the understanding that it is important for everyone to get psychological treatment. Suicide cases in adolescents who have recently become a hot topic of conversation on social media such as what happened to a student of a university in Semarang who ended his life by jumping from a mall building in Semarang and a Semarang student who also ended his life in her boarding room. 

Quoted from several sources that from these two cases it was concluded that one of the influencing factors was the lack of communication between the victim and the people around them. These two students both wrote letters addressed to their closest people and allegedly ended their lives because they felt they could not find another solution to the problems they were facing. Maybe they could have expressed their problems with their parents or peers, so that by telling stories like this it could reduce the burden on the mind. But unfortunately, not always everyone has a place to tell stories and even fearing the response that will be obtained from the listener even makes things worse. As a good society, it is important for us to raise awareness and concern for mental health and create a supportive environment where individuals feel comfortable and safe to talk about their feelings without fear of judgment. With social support and open communication, we hope to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future.