Why Is Suicide Becoming More Common Among Teenagers?

LABUAN BAJO TERKINI – Mental and emotional health is a health that every individual needs to consider and must take care of because it plays a major role in determining a person’s quality of life, well-being, and ability to face various challenges. Good mental health helps a person manage stress, build healthy relationships, and increase productivity and motivation in carrying out daily life. Conversely, if mental and emotional health is compromised, a person can experience difficulties in thinking clearly, controlling emotions, and impacting personal, social and professional life.

Mental problems in the current era have caused many deaths in groups of people, more specifically teenagers, such as suicide. Why is this the case? Due to the lack of education about mental health and the negative stigma towards individuals with mental illness, many adolescents are reluctant to seek help or talk about their feelings.

Many teens are experiencing emotional distress, but do not know what to do or who to talk to. As a result, they choose to keep their feelings to themselves, which can ultimately worsen their mental state. In today’s era, there are several main factors that lead to the increasing trend of suicide among teenagers, such as psychological and economic factors.

First, psychological factors are one of the main causes of adolescent suicide. Aulia N., Yulastri Y., and Sasmita H. (2020) in their research found that psychological factors identified in adolescents include depression, anxiety, stress, and helplessness. One form of helplessness is a lack of emotional maturity, which makes it difficult for an adolescent to control their feelings when facing difficult situations. For example, when a person experiences a failed romantic relationship, they feel very down and cannot find the right way to cope with these feelings. In this condition, without enough support, he may think of hurting himself as a form of emotional release.

Second, economic factors have a significant link to suicide rates, especially among adolescents. This is also supported by data obtained from kompas. Com taken on March 5, which says that 2,112 suicides in Indonesia occurred in the last 11 years with 985 cases or 46.63% of them committed by teenagers. We can see this in terms of a low economy where one example is poverty which has a close relationship with mental health. Where a teenager who wants to go to school but his parents have difficulty in fulfilling their daily needs, he is forced to quit school to help his parents’ economy. In a deep decision with no place to share his sadness, he ultimately has a fatal decision such as suicide.

From the growing incidence of suicide deaths among adolescents today, it is hoped that adolescents can overcome life’s challenges by doing positive things, such as communicating with the closest people, and engaging in any activities that are beneficial to their mental and emotional health, especially adolescents. And not only that, with the right awareness and support, adolescents can develop a more optimistic mindset and face problems in a more constructive way.

Oleh: Rista Felisarti Lensi – Mahasiswi Prodi Bahasa Inggris Unika St. Paulus Ruteng Manggarai NTT