There is one sentence we may hear too often from friends, younger\nsiblings, or even ourselves: \u201cI\u2019m fine, just tired.\u201d That short sentence\nsounds trivial, but it often becomes a curtain covering something far\nheavier: suppressed anxiety, accumulated emotional exhaustion, or even\nsymptoms of a mental disorder never acknowledged for fear of burdening\nothers, or fear of being considered excessive.<\/p>\n
I myself have been at that point. There was a time when my chest felt\ntight for no clear reason, my mind kept spinning about things that had\nnot even happened, and sleep never felt enough to restore energy. For\nsome time, I answered the question \u201cwhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d with the same answer\nas most people: \u201cjust tired.\u201d Until I finally decided to consult via\nHalodoc, just trying, without any expectations. From there, I received a\ndiagnosis of anxiety disorder unspecified from the handling\npsychologist. The feeling was mixed: there was relief because I finally\nknew what I was actually feeling, but also awkwardness about admitting\nit openly, even to those closest to me.<\/p>\n
That experience taught me one important thing: seeking help does not\nrequire a moment \u201csevere enough\u201d to be considered worthy. The sooner we\nrecognise and acknowledge what we are feeling, the lighter the recovery\nprocess becomes.<\/p>\n
Perhaps my sensitivity to this issue is also inseparable from my\nfamily background. My parents separated when I was 2.5 years old, and I\ngrew up without a complete father and mother figure by my side. I do not\nintend to simplify the reasons for my parents\u2019 separation, because every\nfamily has its own complex dynamics. But what I understand now, after\ngrowing up and experiencing mental health issues myself, is that an\nincomplete family condition from an early age can leave long emotional\ntraces, even if they are often invisible from the outside. Years later,\nI myself was diagnosed with an anxiety disorder. This may not be a\ncoincidence, but rather a real picture of how childhood wounds that were\nnever truly processed can continue to be carried into adulthood, if not\nrecognised and addressed early on.<\/p>\n
That is not a single case. It is a small portrait of a much larger\nproblem currently happening to millions of young Indonesians: a mental\nhealth crisis that runs silently, covered by short sentences like \u201cI\u2019m\njust tired.\u201d In fact, a nation will never be truly strong if its next\ngeneration grows up with tired, anxious minds, accustomed to burying\neverything alone.<\/p>\n
Facts That Can No Longer Be Ignored<\/p>\n
Data speaks much louder than assumptions. The first national survey\non adolescent mental health in Indonesia, the Indonesia-National\nAdolescent Mental Health Survey (I-NAMHS), revealed that one in three\nadolescents aged 10\u201317 years, equivalent to 15.5 million people,\nexperienced a mental health problem in the past year. One in twenty\nadolescents has even been diagnosed with a mental disorder requiring\nserious treatment. Anxiety was recorded as the most common complaint,\nwith a higher prevalence among adolescent girls than boys.<\/p>\n
More concerning, of the millions of adolescents experiencing mental\nhealth problems, only about 2.6 percent actually accessed counselling\nservices or mental health facilities. This means the vast majority are\nburying issues that could actually be handled, solely because of stigma,\nlack of access, or ignorance that help is available and permissible to\nseek.<\/p>\n
Recent findings from the Free Health Check (CKG) programme for the\n2025\u20132026 period, initiated by the Ministry of Health, also reinforce\nthis picture. From around seven million children who underwent\nscreening, nearly ten percent showed symptoms of anxiety and depression.\nThis is no longer a personal issue for a handful of children, but a\nstructural phenomenon touching millions of Indonesian adolescents\nsimultaneously.<\/p>\n
Why This Is a National Concern, Not Just a Personal One<\/p>\n
Herein lies the relevance of the grand theme \u201cA Healthy Society, A\nStrong Indonesia.\u201d The strength of a nation is ultimately determined by\nthe quality of its human resources, and superior human resources cannot\npossibly be born from a generation that continuously wrestles with\nanxiety without adequate support. When one in three adolescents\nexperiences a mental health problem but only a fraction receive\ntreatment, it means a huge national potential is at risk of not\ndeveloping optimally, whether in education, productivity, or future\nsocial contribution.<\/p>\n
This issue also does not stand alone. It intertwines with the\nstrengthening of the Free Nutritious Meals Programme, the Free Health\nCheck-ups, and the improvement of health facilities in the regions.\nPhysical and mental health are two sides of the same coin that cannot be\nseparated. A child who is anxious or depressed will have difficulty\nabsorbing nutrition and learning well at school. Conversely, a child who\nis physically unwell due to lack of nutrition is more vulnerable to\nemotional pressure. Therefore, mental health must be an integral part of\nthe national health transformation strategy, not merely a complementary\ndiscourse.<\/p>\n
What We Can Do Now<\/p>\n
First, mental health literacy must be introduced early, from the\nfamily and school environment. Children need to be taught that feeling\nsad, anxious, or tired is human, and that seeking help is a sign of\nstrength, not weakness. Second, access to psychological counselling\nservices must be expanded, not only in big cities but also in districts\nand villages, including through telemedicine platforms that have proven\neffective. Third, the government needs to ensure that mental health\nscreening in programmes like CKG is followed by clear referral pathways\nand affordable treatment, so it does not stop at mere data\ncollection.<\/p>\n
Finally, we all need to stop trivialising the sentence \u201cI\u2019m just\ntired.\u201d Because behind that sentence, there might be a cry for help that\nhas not found the courage to speak. A great Indonesia must start from a\nhealthy generation, not only physically, but also mentally. And mental\nhealth is not a luxury, but a fundamental right of every child of the\nnation.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/when-silence-becomes-the-language-of-young-people-1785419600", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }