Bali Needs Suicide Intervention Centres

Last week I put up an article about suicides being on the increase in Bali and now a leading Psychiatrist has called for Suicide Crisis Centres in all Regencies in Bali to curb an alarming increase in suicide rates.

A rapid increase in suicide rates in Bali have officials increasingly concerned and looking for means to address the desperation that precipitates the decision to take one's life.

According to a report in the tempointeraktif, Balinese psychiatrist Professor Dr. L.K. Suryani of Bali's Udayana University says that 101 Bali residents have taken their lives in the first half of 2006.

"Because of this" according to Dr Suryani, "we are pressuring the provincial government of Bali and the regional governments to take definitive steps to overcome this problem"

Suryani recommends that suicide crisis centers be established in every regency in Bali to permit potential suicide victims the opportunity to discuss their problems with trained professionals.

According to Bali's world-renowned psychiatrist Dr. Suryani the factors leading to suicide in Bali are poverty, poor communication within the family unit and the erosion of traditional values within the Balinese community.