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View all search resultsWest Java family tragedy exposes silent toll of mental health crisis
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suicide, depression (Shutterstock/tadamichi)
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mother’s suicide in West Java, which also claimed the lives of her two children, has cast a harsh spotlight on Indonesia’s deepening mental health crisis, where economic hardship, stigma and limited access to care continue to drive rising, yet vastly underreported, cases of self-harm.
The 34-year-old woman was found dead at her home in Bandung regency last week, with police suspecting that her children died from poisoning. Investigators further revealed that she left a note expressing grievances against her husband, shame toward her family and the crushing burden of debts.
The tragedy quickly drew national attention and sparked widespread debate online.
Official data show suicide cases are climbing nationwide, with the National Police’s Criminal Information Center recording 1,439 cases last year, up from 1,345 in 2023 and more than double the 640 cases logged in 2020. Between January and August this year, 970 cases have already been reported.
But the figures likely capture only a fraction of reality, said Sofia Ambarini, founder of mental health advocacy and suicide prevention nonprofit organization Indonesia Sehat Jiwa. She noted that suicide is still widely regarded as a “disgrace” for families and therefore often concealed or left unreported.
Read also: Five officer suicides highlight mental health crisis in National Police
A 2024 study published in The Lancet Regional Health Southeast Asia echoed this, suggesting the actual suicide rate in the country may be up to 860 percent higher than police records indicate.
