Hundreds of Thousands of Indonesian Children Show Signs of Depression and Anxiety

Results from the Free Health Check Programme (CKG) for the 2025–2026 period have revealed indications of mental health problems in nearly 10 per cent of Indonesian children. This figure emerged following comprehensive health examinations of approximately 7 million children, in which anxiety and depression symptoms were detected in significant numbers.

This finding serves as a reminder that today’s challenges in child development extend beyond physical health or nutritional needs alone, but also encompass emotional stability requiring deeper attention from those in the child’s immediate environment. Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated that 4.4 per cent, or approximately 338,000 children, displayed symptoms of anxiety disorder, whilst 4.8 per cent, or approximately 363,000 children, displayed symptoms of depression disorder.

“This demonstrates that mental health problems are very significant,” said Budi during a press conference held at the Health Ministry office in Jakarta on Monday, 9 March 2026.

According to a written statement received by Republika, Budi stressed that mental health problems in children require serious attention as they can result in death by suicide. Data from the Global School-Based Student Health Survey reveals an increasing trend of children attempting suicide, rising from 3.9 per cent in 2015 to 10.7 per cent in 2023.

Budi stated that mental health problems in children are influenced not only by individual factors but also by family environment, friendships, and education. “What needs to be improved is not only the children themselves, but also family parenting patterns and the learning environment. We need to socialise life skills and First Aid for Psychological Wounds (P3LP). Everyone certainly faces pressure, but what matters is how we respond to it constructively,” he said.