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Mental health stigma is one of the biggest problems faced by many people who are dealing with mental health problems in Indonesia. It negatively affects treatments and worsens symptoms of most people trying to recover.
In 2020, to help relieve this issue, UNICEF has partnered with CIMSA (Center for Indonesian Medical Activities) to launch a series of biweekly online sessions that provide mental health and psychosocial support for young people which is held via zoom and streamed on YouTube. Their aim of the initiative is to raise awareness of the importance of mental health among young people and provide practical knowledge to sustain mental well-being during COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Apart from this in 2010, the Indonesia Ministry of Health started a program called “Indonesia Free from Pasung”. It is a program that provided mental health medications and training to community centers, and made mental health a primary mental health service. This also created a community of health teams intended to directly release and identify people with mental illnesses such as Tim Penggerak Kesehatan Jiwa (TPKJM) and the PIS-PIK program which sends representatives from community health centers for home visits.
Throughout the years, the frequency of shackling has improved. Additionally, people do not stigmatize mental illness as much anymore yet it is undeniably still a huge part in society. With community centers being more equipped to identify and treat people with mental illness, Indonesia is moving in the right direction to improve the current condition of mental illness. We hope to further spread knowledge about mental health stigma and change people’s views where then people can be comfortable to share their experiences.
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