Mental Health Issue Must be Resolved as Early as In the Family and School

National

By Admin INP Jumat, 06 Maret 2026 Pengunjung (646) 2 Mins Read

inp.polri.go.id -Jakarta. Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikini highlighted the alarming rise in children's mental health, marked by an increase in students thinking about and attempting suicide over the past seven years, necessitating efforts to address this issue within the family and school environment.

He highlighted that data from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey (GSHS) from 2015 to 2023 showed that the percentage of students considering suicide increased 1.6-fold, from 5.4 percent to 8.5 percent.

"We are trying to address this as early as possible, at the root of the problem. Data also showed that suicidal ideation, thoughts, and attempts occur primarily due to family issues. Secondly, there is the issue of bullying, which can occur at school or outside of school, especially through exposure to social media," explained Minister Budi on Thursday (3/5/2026).

Meanwhile, the same survey showed that the percentage of students attempting suicide increased 2.7-fold, from 3.9 percent in 2016 to 10.7 percent in 2023. The same data showed that female students were more likely to both consider and attempt suicide.

Furthermore, Budi also highlighted data from the Indonesian Child Protection Commission (KPAI) for 2023-2025, which showed that 11-17 year olds were the age group with the highest number of suicide attempts.

KPAI data and the Ministry of Health's online mental health report, Healing119.id, found that the main factors triggering suicidal thoughts in children were foster care and family conflict (24-46 percent), bullying (14-18 percent), psychological problems (8-26 percent), and academic pressure (7-16 percent).

Therefore, the signing of the Joint Decree by nine ministries and institutions is intended to address these various issues, starting from the earliest such as in households and schools.

"The most important thing is the family unit, as this represents the largest percentage. That's why we also invited the Minister of Education, Culture, and Sports, the Minister of Social Affairs, and the Minister of Religious Affairs to ensure that families improve their lifestyles to provide a better environment for their children," explained Budi.

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