Live Broadcast When Suicide Is A Form Of Looking For Help

JAKARTA The act of suicide while live on social media is happening again. A psychologist said that recording suicide on social media can be called a form of sweeping for help or asking for help.

A female celebrity with the initials FM or more popular with the name Meli Joker was found dead hanging himself in the bathroom of her house in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta.

Head of Criminal Investigation Unit of Kebayoran Lama Police, AKP Suwarno, said the suicide was carried out on Sunday (14/4/2024). The victim's body was found on the same day by his brother.

Reportedly, before carrying out the action, the perpetrator had an argument with his girlfriend. And after an argument he also hit his own head first.

What is of concern is that FM committed suicide while live or live broadcasts on social media, so it is possible that the actions were seen by followers or followers on Instagram.

FM is not the first person to commit suicide, he broadcasts it directly on social media. On March 5, 2022, a man in Palembang, South Sumatra, also carried out similar actions. Quoting Kompas, the 23-year-old man ended his life in a rented house that had only been occupied in the last five months.

Prior to the case in Palembang, the suicide that was broadcast on social media also occurred in 2017. The perpetrator was a 35-year-old man who lived in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta.

The suicide that feels more and more frequent in the mass media coverage is an alarming phenomenon. The National Criminal Information Center of the National Police noted that from January 1 to December 15, 2023, the suicide rate in Indonesia reached 1,226 people.

In addition, suicide perpetrators also do not view social status, education level, or the economy. Due to the fact, it is not only ordinary people who feel that they are without a future but several public figures who are described as committing suicide.

Robbie William, Kurt Cobain, Chris Cornell, Chester Bennington, Kate Spade, Anthony Bourdain are a row of famous and successful people but end life in a tragic way.

Returning to the story of FM who committed suicide while live on Instagram, according to clinical psychologist Veronica Adesla, this was not without purpose. He explained that the real goal is so that what many have done is known.

In the midst of feelings of stress, depression, feelingcinta, someone who intends to commit suicide and broadcast it live on social media, they want to be noticed by those around them. And the live broadcast gives them the opportunity to get what they expect.

"The perpetrator's behavior to broadcastively the purpose of committing suicide is so that other people can see or witness what they are doing," said Vero, confiscated by Kompas.

Vero added that there are various motives that the perpetrator may have when committing suicide while live on Instagram, one of which is an effort to seek help.

"It can be an effort to seek help or look for help or as a message or terror aimed at certain people who are considered to be the cause of making such a decision (suicide)," Vero added.

The same thing was also expressed by DR. Indria Laksmi Gamayanti, M.S., a psychologist and General Chair of the Indonesian Clinical Psychologists Association (IPK). According to him, sometimes someone lives streaming when they commit suicide because of the urge to express themselves to others. And, what actually happened might be another form of competing for help or needing help.

It is also possible as another way to express themselves. They are actually seeking attention. Many also do this because they actually feel lonely, feel alone. These can be ways that can be done without realizing it to get the attention of others," said DR. Gamayanti.

The ease of accessing the media, both social media and mass media, in today's digital era is like a double-edged knife. In addition to functioning as a source of information and communication quickly, social media also has a negative impact.

One of them is the possibility of describing the behavior or language of those who want to commit suicide, thus potentially affecting people to act based on the tendency to commit suicide.

Several organizations proposed guidelines on how the media should report suicide. Meanwhile, Yosep Stanley Press Council member Adi Prasetyo stressed the importance of mass media reporting suicide cases not to elaborate in detail on the causes, processes, and reconstruction of suicide because there are concerns that others will imitate those who are also experiencing depression and have the desire to commit suicide.

"If we see people who commit suicide because of mental disorders, despair or depression, it should not be reported," Stanley said, quoted on the Press Council website, July 23, 2017.

"That he was reported to have died, that's okay. But the way he committed suicide (in detail) doesn't need to be reported. It can inspire people who are desperate or confused to imitate the same method," continued Stanley.

Stanley explained, if the mass media is too detailed in reporting suicide cases, there is an opportunity for others to imitate acts that in the term criminology are called copycat suicide'' or imitate previous suicides.

The potential danger of suicide broadcast live is very real, according to clinical director at the Society for Prevention of Teen Suicide in New Jersey, Phulis Accompanied. According to experts, this raises the possibility of suicide transmission', which also occurred after celebrities committed suicide.

"Imagine a teenager feeling emotionally lost, witnessing the fame or memories of a person completing his suicide mission, getting the attention of his closest community and the amount of attention on social media. This is at the heart of the transmission," said Aaron.

Suicides broadcast live have a significant negative impact on families, teenagers watching, communities, and anyone who has thoughts of suicide," he continued.