Psychological Services and Pasupati Bridge Monitoring: Bandung City Government Strengthens Suicide Prevention
Bandung—The phenomenon of suicide attempts in Bandung City has become a serious concern for the municipal government. Bandung Mayor Muhammad Farhan assessed that the rising number of cases reflects residents’ stress and depression levels that can no longer be ignored.
Farhan noted that almost every week there are residents attempting to end their lives, particularly at Pasupati Bridge. This is deeply concerning as it reveals increasingly acute mental health problems in the community.
“The suicide phenomenon in Bandung City shows that residents’ stress and depression levels can no longer be overlooked. Evidence shows that almost every week someone attempts suicide in Bandung, especially at Pasupati Bridge,” Farhan said at Bandung City Hall on Monday, 9 March 2026.
According to Farhan, current prevention efforts are being conducted through joint patrols by the Bandung Wetan Police Coordination Forum (Forkopimcam). However, he acknowledged that patrols cannot always guarantee complete prevention.
“That is why Forkopimcam Bandung Wetan conducts daily patrols. However, patrols can miss incidents. If a patrol fails and someone jumps, that is extremely dangerous,” he said.
For this reason, Bandung City Government is implementing early prevention approaches, particularly through educational institutions. Based on survey results, approximately 75,000 students in Bandung City, from primary through secondary school level, experience mild stress to severe depression.
Farhan explained that suicide typically does not occur spontaneously. Most cases emerge after someone has experienced severe depression for a considerable period.
“Usually they have been experiencing depression for the past two years, or even very severe depression. So suicide almost never happens spontaneously. This means intervention must begin early,” he said.
As a response measure, Bandung City Government is awaiting a programme from the Ministry of Health that will place clinical psychologists at community health centres. Subsequently, the public will be able to access mental health services directly at primary health facilities.
“There will be psychological services at health centres. At the same time, psychologists will train school counsellors to identify students experiencing psychological disorders,” Farhan said.
However, such services cannot be available at all health centres due to limited numbers of clinical psychologists. Of approximately 80 health centres in Bandung City, the service will be rolled out in phases.
Beyond mental health approaches, Bandung City Government is also examining security measures at Pasupati Bridge. Farhan acknowledged he has coordinated with the central government since the infrastructure falls under central government authority.
For an initial phase, the city is considering installing CCTV to enhance surveillance whilst conducting technical assessments regarding the feasibility of raising the bridge barriers or installing other security systems.
“We must thoroughly examine the options. Even if the barrier is raised, it could be climbed. Installing netting is also not straightforward because it must be strong enough to support a person’s weight. Therefore, numerous technical aspects must be considered,” he said.
Meanwhile, Bandung Wetan Sub-district Head Rizka Aryani explained that joint patrols involving the sub-district, military, police, and area officials have been ongoing for approximately the past two weeks.
According to her, during this period at least five suicide attempts have occurred in the Pasupati area. Several of these have been prevented thanks to patrols or assistance from passing residents.
“Over these two weeks there have been five incidents. Only three may have been exposed on social media, but there were actually more. Thank goodness some were prevented because of patrols or because residents happened to be passing,” Rizka said on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
She acknowledged that patrol efforts are quite demanding due to limited personnel, whilst the sub-district also must handle various other issues such as traffic management, street vendor enforcement, and preparations for Eid al-Fitr.
“It is quite demanding with limited personnel. Our community volunteers number only about 25 people. But this has become our responsibility, so we continue with it,” she said.
Beyond patrols, the sub-district has coordinated with the Major Roads Authority and the Ministry of Public Works and Housing to discuss the possibility of installing additional safety measures such as iron railings at sections of the bridge.
Nevertheless, Rizka believed that suicide prevention cannot be resolved by physical security measures at the bridge alone. According to her, addressing the community’s mental health issues must be tackled as the root problem.
“This is not merely a matter of securing Pasupati. Rather, it is about how we address residents’ mental health problems. Increasingly, more residents are experiencing mental pressures,” she said.
She hopes that all stakeholders, from government to healthcare professionals to the community, become involved in prevention efforts so that no more residents choose to end their lives.
“Hopefully in the future no more residents will consider suicide. This is a humanitarian issue that we must address together,” she said.