































 Epidemiology and Society Health Review| ESHR 
Vol. 6, No. 1, 2024, pp. 51-54 ISSN 2656-6052 (online) | 2656-1107 (print) 
 
 

      10.26555/eshr.v6i1.10010  

 
51 

 
 

  

Viewpoint 

The Importance of Awareness and Prevention of Suicide 
Trends in Youth 

 
Yanasta Yudo Pratama1, Niufti Ayu Dewi Mahila2, Muhammad Luthfi Adnan1* 
Hamza Sameeh Abd El Qader AbuHilail3 
1Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Indonesia, Yogyakarta, Indonesia 
2Departement of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Islam Indonesia,  

Yogyakarta, Indonesia 
3Faculty of Medicine, Arab American University, Ramallah, Palestine 
 
* Correspondence: luthfiadnan35@yahoo.co.id  

Received 31 January 2024; Accepted 17 February 2024; Published 17 February 2024 

Suicide is an incident that is a severe problem in society which is currently widespread. Suicide 
is the act of ending one's own life by using several techniques, such as hanging, making an 
incision in a blood vessel, or crashing into a moving vehicle such as a train or motorbike. 
Based on data from the World Health Organization (WHO), as many as 703,000 people 
committed suicide, with variations in suicide rates in various countries between 2 and 80 
suicide deaths per 100,000 population. Men have a suicide rate that is up to 2.3 times higher 
than women. The majority of deaths due to suicide are more significant in low- and middle-
income countries (LMICs), up to more than 70%.1 

According to data from the Republic of Indonesia Police's National Criminal Information 
Centre, there were 971 suicides in Indonesia from January to October 2023. Compared to 900 
suicides in 2022, it indicated an increase in the number of suicide cases in Indonesia during 
2023. According to the report, Central Java, East Java, and Bali had the highest province 
number of suicides (Table 1). The National Police also reported that the majority of suicides 
(741 occurrences) occurred in dwelling or residential areas, followed by plantation (104 
incidents) and rice field areas (18 cases). 

Table 1. Number of suicide cases based on province. 
Province Suicide case (n) 

Central Java 356 
East Java 184 
Bali 94 
West Java 60 
Special Region of Yogyakarta 48 
North Sumatra 41 
Lampung 27 
West Sumatra 26 
Bengkulu 22 
North Sulawesi 18 

 

The trend of suicide is found to be increasing at a young age in various countries such as 
Estonia, New Zealand, the United States, and Australia.2 Suicidal ideation can occur in 

https://doi.org/10.26555/eshr.v3i1.3629
mailto:luthfiadnan35@yahoo.co.id


 
 

 

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children and is relatively common in adolescents or adults. Still, suicide attempts are rarely 
made before puberty because of the role of cognitive abilities in planning and carrying out 
these attempts. However, the trend of suicidal thoughts is increasingly common in younger 
teenagers, who have a time of 1 – 2 years to realize the idea of suicide after it first appears.2 
This problem then becomes a significant health problem in various countries, and we need to 
be alert to the increasing trend of teenagers committing suicide in multiple countries around 
the world.2 

Risk and Health Impact of Suicide Sign in Youth 

The motive behind someone committing suicide is based on the social processes they face, 
whether during their life they were able to socialize with society or vice versa. Each individual 
has a different way of thinking, an ideology that follows the nature of his beliefs. Social 
interactions in society will also influence a person's attitude. This suicide incident is based on 
several behaviors that reflect how a person's life experiences pressure or a problem so that 
the rules that exist in his life become very influential in making decisions.3 These various 
external factors then contribute to the increased risk of suicide in adolescents.4 

When someone commits an act of suicide, they often have previously attempted suicide using 
various techniques, and it is not uncommon for the suicide perpetrator to have previously 
conveyed his desire to end his life to those closest to him or those around him, implicitly or 
explicitly, and in this context which is often called a death message. Feelings of hopelessness 
and the influence of various personalities, such as higher levels of anxiety that are more 
commonly felt at a young age, are also factors that encourage suicidal ideation to appear.5 

Adolescent personality problems are the most common factor found in adolescents, where 
adolescents with personality disorders have a higher risk of suicide.6,7 This problem can be 
traced to a history of child abuse, either physical or psychological violence.6 Adolescents with 
childhood experiences of maltreatment can experience emotional dysregulation, which has an 
impact on their vulnerability to current stressful events and contributes to being more 
vulnerable to committing suicide.6 Although a study by Kwan et al. shows that the pattern of 
adolescent suicide attempts is more or less medically fatal, adolescents tend to repeat suicide 
attempts, so mental health monitoring is needed for them both from the health system by the 
government and society.7 

The Importance and Preparedness of Youth Suicide Prevention Strategies 

WHO has made suicide prevention efforts one of its top public health priorities and advocates 
for the importance of suicide prevention being implemented in national health strategies, with 
a particular focus on youth and other vulnerable groups.8 This approach can involve increasing 
awareness of suicide risk as well as removing barriers to care or encouraging help-seeking 
behavior.8 In addition, this strategy encourages protection, such as social support and coping 
skills for mental health problems. These strategies may also support parenting patterns, 
increase educational or training opportunities, or improve conditions at school or in other 
environments conducive to mental health.8 

Schools have become the perfect place to develop suicide prevention programs because the 
majority of teenagers spend their time every day. Suicide prevention strategies in schools can 
build suicide awareness and help skills. In the United States, the suicide prevention curriculum 

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(Signs of Suicide (SOS)) and mental health promotion (The Youth Aware of Mental Health) 
can increase awareness of suicide risks, such as levels of depression and adolescent 
adaptation abilities.8 For adolescents at high risk of suicide, such as those with mental 
disorders and substance abuse, several programs such as C-CARE (Counselor—Care, 
Assess, Respond, Empower) and CAST (Coping and Support Training) facilitate counseling 
and intervention to improve self-esteem, decision making, personal control, and interpersonal 
communication. The existence of this program has an impact on reducing suicidal thoughts, 
depressive attitudes, and hopelessness.8  

The level of healthcare settings plays a role in the degree to which individuals have developed 
signs of suicide.8 In this setting, pharmacological or non-pharmacological management is 
given according to the patient's condition. Administration of drugs such as selective serotonin 
reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), lithium, and ketamine can reduce suicidal ideation in groups of 
young people with significant depression or bipolar disorder.9 Non-pharmacotherapy 
approaches such as cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) and dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) 
function to improve individual coping strategies for stressors or triggers for suicide.9 However, 
follow-up is required for them after treatment at the healthcare facilities because adolescents 
tend to attempt suicide again. As many as 80% of suicide deaths result from non-fatal suicide 
attempts within one year after the previous attempt.9 

Although youth suicide prevention programs have had a positive impact, several reports are 
indicating unanticipated adverse events resulting from these programs. Several studies report 
that some students feel upset and do not support the existence of a suicide prevention 
curriculum.10 In addition, limited resources can result in teachers or other parties experiencing 
overhaul, isolation, and incompetence in providing support for suicide prevention.10 Lack of 
preparation for suicide prevention programs will result in broader acceptance of suicide 
prevention programs.10 The cultural problem of society, which still considers suicide to be 
taboo and shunned, makes it difficult for high-risk groups to receive medical treatment and 
mental support. 

Seeing the many challenges in dealing with trends in the risk of teenage suicide, cooperation 
between the government, health workers, and the community must be needed to be alert to 
the development of signs of suicide in teenagers. By knowing early, suicide can not only be 
prevented, but we can also help them to be better able to deal with the problems that trigger 
their desire to commit suicide. Preventing suicide and improving mental health in teenagers 
will prepare them as the next generation to become Indonesia's Golden Generation in 2045. 

Keywords: Adolescent; Mental health; Suicide; Wellbeing; Youth 

REFERENCES  

1.  Chu J, O’Neill SE, Ng JF, Khoury O. The Cultural Theory and Model of Suicide for Youth. 
2022. 99–106 p.  

2.  Glenn CR, Kleiman EM, Kellerman J, Pollak O, Cha CB, Esposito EC, et al. Annual 
Research Review: A meta-analytic review of worldwide suicide rates in adolescents. 
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry and Allied Disciplines. 2020;61(3):294–308.  

3.  Biroli A. Bunuh Diri Dalam Perspektif Sosiologi. Simulacra: Jurnal Sosiologi. 
2018;1(2):213–23.  

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4.  Mohatt N V., Kreisel CJ, Hoffberg AS, Mph LW, Beehler SJ. A Systematic Review of 
Factors Impacting Suicide Risk Among Rural Adults in the United States. Journal of Rural 
Health. 2021;37(3):565–75.  

5.  McCallum SM, Batterham PJ, Christensen H, Werner-Seidler A, Nicolopoulos A, Newton 
N, et al. Personality factors associated with suicidal ideation, plans and attempts in 
adolescents. Journal of Affective Disorders. 2022;310(July 2021):135–41.  

6.  Marques-Feixa L, Moya-Higueras J, Romero S, Santamarina-Pérez P, Rapado-Castro 
M, Zorrilla I, et al. Risk of suicidal behavior in children and adolescents exposed to 
maltreatment: The mediating role of borderline personality traits and recent stressful life 
events. Journal of Clinical Medicine. 2021;10(22).  

7.  Kwan Y, Choi SW, Min S, Ahn JS, Kim H, Kim MH, et al. Does personality problems 
increase youth suicide risk?: A characteristic analysis study of youth who visit the 
emergency department following suicide attempt. Journal of Affective Disorders. 
2021;282(December 2020):539–44.  

8.  Wasserman D, Carli V, Iosue M, Javed A, Herrman H. Suicide prevention in childhood 
and adolescence: a narrative review of current knowledge on risk and protective factors 
and effectiveness of interventions. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry. 2021;13(3):1–17.  

9.  Mann JJ, Michel CA, Auerbach RP. Improving Suicide Prevention Through Evidence-
Based Strategies: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Psychiatry. 
2021;178(7):611–24.  

10.  Kuiper N, Goldston D, Godoy Garraza L, Walrath C, Gould M, McKeon R. Examining the 
Unanticipated Adverse Consequences of Youth Suicide Prevention Strategies: A 
Literature Review with Recommendations for Prevention Programs. Suicide and Life-
Threatening Behavior. 2019;49(4):952–65.  

  

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