Restraining mental patients worsens problems: Doctor

A sociologist in Palu said a killing spree on Sunday by a mentally ill man should serve as a warning over the way the mentally ill were treated in this country.

Ainun Mangun, a lecturer at Tadulako University in Palu, said on Monday that the man, Nantjo, should have been receiving treatment at an institution, rather than being kept in stocks in his family's home.

"This is an old practice, that when somebody is suffering from a mental disorder, their family puts them in stocks to prevent him or her from assaulting or annoying the neighbors. People have been doing this for years and it is not right. That will not solve the problem, but instead aggravate it," she said.

Nantjo had been kept in stocks for over a year before being released and stabbing four people to death.

Ainun said that after being locked up for so long, it was not unusual for Nantjo to lose control and run amok after finally being given his freedom.

In order to prevent similar tragedies in the future, she urged families to admit mentally ill relatives to the hospital for treatment.

Musi, the head of Kalora subdistrict, where the killings took place, said that Nantjo had been kept in stocks for over a year, but was apparently released recently after his family concluded that he would never improve.

A local doctor, Lutfiah Sahabuddin, agreed with Ainun. She pointed to an example of a mentally ill girl, who was kept in stocks for a period of time, but only improved after her family brought her to a hospital.

"We discovered that the girl was kept in stocks. Her condition became much better after we admitted her to Madani Hospital, a hospital for the mentally ill in Mamboro, Palu," Lutfiah said.

The doctor said she did not known how many mentally ill people in the province were put in stocks. -- Ruslan Sangadji/Palu