The Characteristics of Suicide in Gunungkidul Indonesia

Abstract

Background: The suicide incidents in Gunungkidul did not decrease according to previous reports. This research was conducted to described suicide trends in Gunungkidul from 2012 to 2019 and their characteristics. Method: The research used retrospective approach by analyzing suicide data from local police based on demography (sex, occupation, age, residence) and the methods of suicide. We analyzed the suicide trends in the last 8 years. Results: The result of the descriptive analysis shows that suicide in Gunungkidul has the following characteristics: 1) mostly done by male than female, 2) farmers, 3) elderly (>60 years old) and adults (36-60 years old), and 4) hanging as the popular method to completed suicide. Conclusion: This research suggests that suicide prevention should be done to people with suicide risks, especially the elderly, and promotes suicide prevention to society. We proposed implementing community-based to reduce the accessibility of lethal methods of suicide.

Suicide trends during COVID-19 pandemic in Gunungkidul, Indonesia

“…Several reports have estimated the prevalence of suicide in Gunungkidul to exceed the national trend. 2,3 Several parties have proposed explanations and factors behind the high number of suicides in Gunungkidul, such as poverty and social change, distortion of meaning applied to the belief of "pulung gantung", mental health issues, and to the absence of adequate resources. 17,18,19,21 This study was conducted to estimate the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on suicide patterns.…”

“…Although this study found a limited difference in trends, this change may be a manifestation of random patterns as in previous studies. 3 This study also analyzes limited data and also influences the level of sensitivity of predictive patterns. In addition, this article does not reveal whether the decline in the trend of suicide is also accompanied by a decrease in suicidal ideation or the attempts.…”

“…1 Indonesia does not have comprehensive suicide reports, and few areas show these statistics; data about suicide is based solely on police reports. 2,3 The absence of a national suicide registry system makes incidents go unreported and the reporting is considered only superficial.…”

“…Gunungkidul is one of the areas with a high suicide rate in Indonesia, with an incidence rate of up to 4.3 percent over the last 10 years. 2,3,17 This high suicide incidence is also steeped in local beliefs about pulung gantung as the mystical cause of suicide. 18,19 There are also accusations about socio-economic pressures, social isolation, and drought as the leading causes of the high number of suicides in Gunungkidul.…”

Masih ada harapan: Eksplorasi pengalaman pemuda yang menangguhkan bunuh diri

“…Bunuh diri dianggap sebagai mekanisme penegakkan harga diri atas rasa malu (Crowder & Kemmelmeier, 2018). Wirang inilah yang oleh beberapa kalangan disebut sebagai faktor risiko tindakan bunuh diri di Jawa (Darmaningtyas, 2002;Nurdiyanto & Jaroah, 2020). Meski demikian, perlu dilakukan kajian lebih lanjut untuk menggali makna wirang dalam kaitannya dengan bunuh diri.…”