13-year-old boy in bad shape after suicide attempt

13-year-old boy in bad shape after suicide attempt

Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung

A 13-year-old boy, Agus Surayana, is reportedly in a bad
condition after attempting to kill himself at his grandmother's
house in Cisarua, Lembang, near the West Java capital of Bandung.

His grandmother, Emi, said she believed her grandson had
attempted suicide at around 9 a.m. on Sunday because she had not
immediately responded to his request for Rp 5,000 (US$0.58).

Earlier, Agus' parents, who live near Emi's house, forbade him
to accompany his younger brother to attend a school celebration
marking the Prophet Muhammad's Birthday.

Agus had attended elementary school but his parents could not
afford to send him to junior high school. When reportedly told
that he could not attend the school activity, Agus had cried and
gone directly to his bedroom.

"Because I only had notes, I went to a nearby shop to try to
get some small change. When I returned, I was surprised that Agus
had stopped crying. When I opened the bedroom door, I found him
hanging and unconscious," Emi recalled.

She cried out for help. Agus' uncle, Yaya, 24, heard the call.
He cut the piece of cloth that was around the boy's neck with a
knife, while several neighbors supported Agus' body from below.

However, they were unable to hold the boy's weight and he fell
to the ground, hitting his temple.

Emi said it was believed that her grandson had been hanging
for around three minutes.

Agus was later taken to the Cisarua Community Health Center
(Puskesmas).

After he was cut down, Agus had remained unconscious for one
hour. He momentarily regained consciousness before slipping in
and out of awareness.

After four hours of treatment at the health center, Agus was
moved to Hasan Sadikin General Hospital in Bandung for intensive
care.

Djatnika Setiabudi, a doctor at the hospital, said on Monday
that Agus was still suffering from the affects of three minutes
without oxygen.

The doctor explained that, in a neurological test that
measured consciousness on a scale of three to 15, Agus had rated
12. Fifteen would indicate that a person was fully conscious.

"The patient fainted and turned blue because his oxygen supply
was cut off. Luckily, his heart is strong," Djatnika said.

Agus' father Nana wrote to the hospital asking the team of
doctors treating his son not to expose the suicide attempt to the
public.

The hospital banned journalists from taking pictures of Agus
at the request of his parents.

"Agus will probably need speech therapy. He can open his eyes
but he slips in and out of consciousness," another doctor Dadang
Hudaya, said.

He could not say how long it would be before Agus fully
recovered.

Agus is the third child to be treated at the Hasan Sadikin
hospital after a suicide attempt last year.

On Aug. 22, 2003, 12-year-old student Heryanto attempted to
kill himself at his home in Garut regency, West Java. He was in a
coma for weeks.

Heryanto attempted suicide by hanging himself with a plastic
cable. He was reportedly upset that his parents could not afford
to pay Rp 2,500, which his teacher had requested for school
equipment.

Heryanto's case caught the attention of senior government
officials, including West Java Governor Danny Setiawan and
Yogyakarta Governor Hamengkubuwono X, who visited him at the
hospital.