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Bogor tragedy raises concerns over mental health, suicide prevention
A recent suicide in Central Bogor, West Java, has raised concerns over mental health and suicide prevention in the region.
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A recent suicide in Central Bogor, West Java, has raised concerns over mental health and suicide prevention in the region. (Shutterstock/-)
A
woman in Ciwaringin, Central Bogor, West Java, was found dead of an apparent suicide in her bedroom on Thursday, raising concerns over mental health and suicide prevention in the region.
Elawati, 46, reportedly took her own life because of the stress of dealing with her children’s and husband’s acute illnesses for years while also struggling financially.
She was found by her husband, according to neighborhood unit head Yulia Aufa.
“Elawati had three children and two step children. All of her three children suffer from various illnesses,” she said.
Elawati’s eldest song reportedly has a lung disease while her second child struggles with hallucinations caused by mental illness. Her youngest child has Down’s syndrome and her husband, who also has a lung disease, recently suffered a stroke.
Bogor Mayor Bima Arya visited the family after hearing about the incident.
“Subdistrict heads and district heads have to be sensitive about the hardships faced by the people living in their area, especially those who are under a significant amount of stress so that we can intervene and take the necessary preventive measures,” he said.
He pointed to a long-running social program called Dasa Wisma organized by housewives, in which volunteers are assigned 10 homes to monitor and visit on a regular basis. They evaluate the health and overall welfare of each family and report any concerns to the organization.
“Neighborhood, community and subdistrict heads should regularly check up on their residents and see for themselves how the people are living to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future,” Bima said. (gis)
