Culture And Media
Indonesia: Suicide rate at 1500 a day due to poverty
Jakarta, 9 Oct. (AKI/Jakarta Post) - Up to 1,500 people commit suicide every day in Indonesia reportedly because of poverty and homelessness, according to the World Health Organization.
The WHO said the average number of deaths due to suicide in Indonesia was 24 per 100,000 of the population. The data said 50,000 people commit suicide each year, or 1,500 people on average each day.
The figures were reported by the national daily, The Jakarta Post which also spoke to several experts about the problem.
A study conducted by Ahmad Prayitno, a professor of mental health with Trisakti University in Jakarta, said several factors in Indonesia contributed to the high number of suicides.
"The economic crisis is the main reason ... followed by those suffering from mental illnesses," Ahmad said
He was speaking on Monday at a meeting about the impact of cultural diversity and mental health, to commemorate World Mental Health Day.
"The tendency is growing each year because life is becoming more difficult now," Ahmad told The Jakarta Post.
He said other factors that contributed to the country's suicide rate included the socio-economic gap between wealthy and poor families; increased mobility as people moved from region to region in search of work; and home evictions.
Ahmad's study said some 100,000 Jakartans committed suicide in 2006, but he said the number could be even higher because some suicides were reported as accidents.
"Unfortunately, there's no official figure from the government about this," Ahmad said.
Director of public mental health services at the Health Ministry, Yulizar Darwis, said the number of people affected by severe mental health illnesses in Indonesia was small, with one person out of 1,000 recorded.
"But the number who suffer from minor mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic complaints, such as gastric pains and shortness of breath, with no known physical cause, is high, one in four people," Yulizar said.
"Men are the most prone to suffer from severe mental illnesses," he said.
Research has shown mental illness in Indonesia has decreased the nation's productivity by some 13 percent in recent years.
Experts said people who live in regions hit by disasters, like the tsunami or earthquakes (Photo), had been left traumatised.
"Our research in Aceh shows more than 50 percent of the people seeking care at the public health centers are suffering mental distress due to trauma," Yulizar said.
The WHO said the average number of deaths due to suicide in Indonesia was 24 per 100,000 of the population. The data said 50,000 people commit suicide each year, or 1,500 people on average each day.
The figures were reported by the national daily, The Jakarta Post which also spoke to several experts about the problem.
A study conducted by Ahmad Prayitno, a professor of mental health with Trisakti University in Jakarta, said several factors in Indonesia contributed to the high number of suicides.
"The economic crisis is the main reason ... followed by those suffering from mental illnesses," Ahmad said
He was speaking on Monday at a meeting about the impact of cultural diversity and mental health, to commemorate World Mental Health Day.
"The tendency is growing each year because life is becoming more difficult now," Ahmad told The Jakarta Post.
He said other factors that contributed to the country's suicide rate included the socio-economic gap between wealthy and poor families; increased mobility as people moved from region to region in search of work; and home evictions.
Ahmad's study said some 100,000 Jakartans committed suicide in 2006, but he said the number could be even higher because some suicides were reported as accidents.
"Unfortunately, there's no official figure from the government about this," Ahmad said.
Director of public mental health services at the Health Ministry, Yulizar Darwis, said the number of people affected by severe mental health illnesses in Indonesia was small, with one person out of 1,000 recorded.
"But the number who suffer from minor mental illnesses, such as depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic complaints, such as gastric pains and shortness of breath, with no known physical cause, is high, one in four people," Yulizar said.
"Men are the most prone to suffer from severe mental illnesses," he said.
Research has shown mental illness in Indonesia has decreased the nation's productivity by some 13 percent in recent years.
Experts said people who live in regions hit by disasters, like the tsunami or earthquakes (Photo), had been left traumatised.
"Our research in Aceh shows more than 50 percent of the people seeking care at the public health centers are suffering mental distress due to trauma," Yulizar said.
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