Suicide Cases in Indonesia Are Soaring, Be Careful, Do Not Let It Become an Epidemic

JAKARTA - The public was again shocked by the discovery of the bodies of a mother and her child in the Bukit Cinere Indah housing complex, Depok, West Java. So far, the police investigation team is still investigating the cause of their deaths, although there are suspicions that it was suicide.

How shocked M. Jafar, a housing security officer, was to find Grace Arijani Harahapan (64) and her son David Ariyanto Wibowo (38) dead with their bodies already dry in the bathroom on Thursday, September 8, 2023.

The discovery of the bodies of the mother and child started out of curiosity, because the occupants of the house had not been seen for approximately a month and there was a strong smell coming from outside the house.

As media coverage spread, people began to make assumptions regarding the discovery of two dried corpses. There are suspicions that suicide was committed, but quite a few also believe there was a possibility of murder.

Uniqueness of the Letter 'To You Whomever'

Forensic psychologist Reza Indragiri said that when more than one person dies in almost the same location, there are four things that the police must pay attention to when concluding the cause of death. These four are Natural, Accident, Suicide and Homicide (NASH).

"Natural, whether the person left due to natural factors or an accident, such as an electric shock, hitting their head, or homicide or suicide," said Reza.

During the investigation process, the police found a letter entitled To You Whomever which left many question marks. The letter begins with an opening sentence that says, "Whoever reads this article, maybe by the time they see this article, my mother and I will have died." Until now, the police are still investigating whether the letter was really written by David Ariyanto or whether someone else wrote it.

However, Reza Indragiri considered the letter to be quite unique because it did not appear to have been sent to any specific party, for example family or friends. In fact, usually someone who commits suicide writes a specific message.

"The sentence "to you whomever" shows that perhaps this family has been so isolated, so far away from their social environment. "Even the final message they wrote was not shown to certain parties, as if they had imagined that their bodies would be found through this discovery, intentionally or unintentionally," Reza added.

Director of General Criminal Investigation at Polda Metro Jaya Kombes Hengki Haryadi. (VOI/Rizky Aditya Pramana)

"So it is strange that a letter regarding a very serious decision was not addressed to a particular party, but was addressed to anyone. It's as if there is no particular person, be it family, friends, personal doctor, or anyone else who is deemed worthy of being someone to confide in."

According to the Head of RW 16 BCI Housing, Herry Meidjiantono, the two victims were known as closed figures. The two of them even refused to be included in the Whatsapp group at the complex. Herry admitted that he did not know the reason why the two of them refused to join the WA group.

Herry further said that Grace has a younger sibling who lives in West Jakarta. But for whatever reason, the last time the two of them interacted directly was in 2011 when Grace's husband died.

On the same occasion, Reza Indragiri said, if it is assumed that the case where the bodies of the mother and child were found was due to suicide, and the letter was written by the perpetrator himself, then the letter writer wants the public to know that the incident experienced by Grace and David was not a personal incident because it included the words “whomever” in the found letter.

"Because it includes "whomever", the media and the public have the right to know. That's what the perpetrator wanted, namely - first - that the perpetrator's suicide was not a personal event, but rather an event that should be discussed by the wider public. "Second, so that everyone knows the contents of the letter and follows up on it in the right way," Reza explained.

Suicide Is Not a Legal Problem

Assuming that both of them died by suicide, Reza Indragiri said this was a serious problem. Lack of attention to mental health is said to be one of the reasons for the rise in suicides.

As is known, suicide cases are increasingly occurring in Indonesia. Compiled from Indonesian Police data, as many as 640 suicide cases occurred from January to July 2023. This number increased by 31.7% compared to the same period in the previous year, namely 486 cases.

According to Reza Indragiri, the lack of attention to mental health has the potential to be one of the reasons behind the increase in crime incidents. He also hopes that related parties will intervene so that there is no suicide epidemic.

Lack of attention to mental health can be the background for various extreme crimes. (Unsplash/Nick Fewings)

“Whomever turned the letter into an asset of positive value. That, suicide is not actually an issue whose essence is in the realm of law enforcement. "So many stakeholders must join in 'cawe-cawe', including in the context of preventing copycat suicides and suicide epidemics," said Reza again.

"Do not forget. During the COVID-19 pandemic, our focus has been on the fight against the virus. Physical health is the target of various policies. Insufficient attention is paid to mental health. "As a result, perhaps the various incidents of extreme crimes and humanitarian tragedies that have occurred in recent times are a manifestation of the neglect of attention to mental health," he concluded.