Preventing the tragedy of teenager suicide
Andayani, Montreal
Recent media headlines have reported an increasing number of cases of suicide among children and young adolescents in Indonesia. It comes as a shock to Indonesians as people in the country find it hard to imagine that very young individuals would commit suicide. In fact, suicide among the youth is far more commonplace than one may think. Notably in the western hemisphere, the WHO reports that young people between the ages of 15 and 29 as well as the elderly are the most vulnerable among the population in terms of suicide.
In the country, suicide is considered to be almost nonexistent despite the magnitude of the problem. Sad to say, the actual figures are absolutely staggering. In Jakarta alone, Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital in Jakarta revealed that in 2004 and 2005, there have been 1,119 cases of suicide to date.
It is imperative that people do not simply judge the teen victims as having a self-centered personality, but rather to investigate its underlying causes. Whilst the cognitive- behavioral theory postulates that suicide is motivated by depression, the social-learning model contends that it is a learned behavior.
Self-inflicted behavior is due to role-modeling and may be associated with child-rearing patterns that put undue emphasis on punishment, television programs with violent content or other environmental stimulus. The psychoanalytic approach contends that suicidal ideation and behavior is probable when a person feels loss and rejection.
Another theory is derived from the multidimensional approach, noting that suicide is stimulated by intolerable psychological suffering. However, the bottom line of these theories is suicide becomes the best and final solution for unbearable suffering as perceived by these self-destructive individuals who have been embraced by a sense of hopelessness.
People might be shocked by the recent tragic suicide of a five-year-old child. People might simply think that it was an accident; a mere mimicking of suicide-like behavior with no intention of it leading to death. Suicide ordinarily represents a multifaceted problem in terms of the psychological and socio- political realms.
The children who commit suicide are somehow cognizant of their actions while possessing their own concept of death. The children are able to discern that their death can release them from their worldly problems and as an alternative way to attain peace. In this fashion, the child victim might be depressed and have internalized violent behavior learned from the environment.
Another recent case was of a poor teenager whose parents were unable to pay for his schooling. Experts in the country have cited urban poverty as a determining factor behind the growing number of suicide cases among youth (The Jakarta Post, June 7, 2005). It is no coincidence that suicidologists point out that the risk factors of suicide casualties range from economic difficulties to loss of social cohesion, breakdown of traditional institutions, rapid social changes, mental and health problems, and substance abuse.
Young adolescents are in the identity formation stage and have to deal with the transition period from childhood to adulthood. This interval time is quite difficult, since they may feel ambiguous and anxious about their own identity and role. On one side, they are no longer children, but they may be not ready yet to pursue the role of the adolescent. It is not surprising that a large number of adolescents are irritable and hence require a lot of encouragement from adults.
However, in certain cultures, suicide is acceptable. So-called altruistic suicide has been committed by suicide bombers in Palestine, the cohorts of harakiri in Japan, and the like who perceive it as martyrdom.
Considering the growing number of suicide victims in our country, we must seek to shift away from stigmatizing the victims and ignoring the problem into helping the population and rigorously exploring the issues around suicide. Centers for research that work to identify the population at risk, the underlying causes and risk factors as well as appropriate models of intervention are important.
Moreover, the research center that seeks to identify the strategies in relation to socio-economic development with the least negative outcomes in reducing social cohesion or devastating traditional institutions are very relevant. It is also necessary to enact responsive policies addressing this problem directly in order to restrict dangerous means which can be utilized for suicide and prohibit substance abuse.
The films that contain suicide and violence should be restricted. There is a need to broadcast these films at an appropriate time, for instance, very late at night. Moreover, these films should be categorized clearly and therefore parents can discern what films are suitable for children. It has to be very clear that certain films are exclusively for adults while others may be viewed by children but with adult supervision.
Even, the news on criminal issues which is broadcast twice a day should be reviewed given the fact that these have the potential to stimulate and reinforce violent tendencies. The frequency of these programs should be reduced while the content should be modified in order to ensure that public awareness on the laws and ethics can be effectively raised.
It is also highly recommended to educate the public in general, including children and young adolescents to communicate their suicidal thoughts to family, peers or professionals. Such hotline services, prevention units or suicide crisis centers become crucial. To train people to explore their own coping behaviors and develop resilience never goes to waste.
Offering religious teachings, leisure activities and peer support may benefit the children and youth. We would never wish deliberate self-destruction to silently become altruism in our culture; as a coping mechanism for our day-to-day encounters.
The writer is currently pursuing a Masters degree in Social Work at McGill University Canada, and is a teacher at UIN (State Islamic University) Sunan Kalijaga, Yogyakarta.