On World Mental Health Day, which is celebrated every October 10, the social media universe was shocked by the suicide committed by a student of a state university in Semarang, Central Java. The perpetrator jumped from the top floor of a supermarket. Then, two days later, the same news came from a student from Kalimantan who studied in Semarang who was also found dead in his boarding room by leaving a will for his lover, friends and family.
This is certainly a big blow to everyone, especially humanitarian workers in NGOs. A friend who is a mental health caseworker at an NGO in Solo, Central Java, admitted that he was devastated by the increasing number of suicides that reached thousands of peoples in one year.
Why did you choose suicide?
That is the rhetorical question that comes to my mind every time I hear about a suicide. I feel that I am also partly responsible for being aware of mental health, even if it is within a small scope such as family and close friends. Making sure they are mentally stable, or if any of my family or friends need mental help, I hope to be able to assist or help them get out of the trap of the mind.
If Only We Knew How Tight Your Mind Was
Although the decisions they make are not entirely our responsibility, if we really knew what had burdened them so far that they did not want to continue living, we should be able to give them a little comfort, or give them a warm hug to strengthen their hearts, be a little more patient for treatment so that they do not want to end their own lives in a painful way.
Strawberry Generation Stigma and the Influence of Technological Development
There is a new term that I heard through my friend's narrative. The increasing number of suicides committed by the Gen-Z era has given birth to a new term called the ***Strawberry Generation***. It is said that this term is used to describe Gen-Z, which tends to look beautiful on the outside but terrible on the inside. This means, because Gen-Z tends not to be strong with social pressure and tends to be mentally weak, selfish, spoiled and arrogant.***[source](https://metro.batampos.co.id/strawberry-generation-remaja-kreatif-tapi-lemah/)***
The development of technology has contributed to the growth of Gen-Z, which has been stigmatized as the strawberry generation. Technological sophistication is like a double-edged knife. On the one hand, we are all given the convenience to access or do many things instantly. On the other hand, it is precisely these conveniences that will later become a boomerang for them (and us), because the habit of getting fulfillment quickly and instantly triggers the weakening of soft skills in problem solving. Then, new problems arise related to problem solving and short-term thinking,
Is this another trigger in the issue of mental disorders that are becoming more prevalent? Yes. Although we should not entirely blame technology, control over the use of technology is clearly needed. Controlling the use of technology does not only apply to Gen-Z, but also to all technology users in all age ranges.
To be honest, I don't really agree with the strawberry generation stigma even though there is a lot of concrete evidence that this phenomenon is happening and real. However, mental health disorders can happen to anyone; boomers, gen x, generation Y (millennials), generation Z, or most recently the Alpha generation.
Our mental health is precious, loving ourselves is important. May we all always be able to maintain our mental health. I love you.
Titis N
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