'Terror, reform, polls cause great stress'

Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post/Jakarta

Residents of urban metropolises like Jakarta face a variety of socio-political factors that contribute to higher stress levels than those in remote areas, a researcher said.

Recent reforms, terrorist attacks and the election year had caused heightened stress and had contributed to an increase in the number of suicides in Greater Jakarta, said noted psychiatrist Yul Iskandar.

According to Yul, president director of the Institute for Cognitive Research, reform movements were often a cause of stress because most people were naturally conservative and did not like change. Reform would cause even more stress if people were disappointed with their results.

"We've often heard campaigners talk about fighting corruption, collusion and nepotism. They also promised better social welfare. If such promises are not fulfilled, people will become more stressed," he said.

Yul said research showed that 90 percent of the population could handle personal stress caused by reform, which meant over 20 million Indonesians were unable to handle the stress of reform.

Terrorist activities like bomb blasts, on the other hand, cause stress because such incidents were unpredictable.

"Although the number of victims is less than that in a traffic accident, terror acts haunt Jakartans more," he said, speaking at a function to mark World Mental Health Day.

World Mental Health Day was initiated on Oct. 10, 1993, by the World Federation for Mental Health for four main aims: to gain respect for the rights of those diagnosed with mental and emotional disorders; to expand prevention programs designed to reduce the threat of emotional disorders among vulnerable populations; to encourage the provision of necessary and appropriate treatment services for those in need; and to promote optimal mental and emotional health among all peoples.

Yul said the lengthy election process had also caused stress among candidates and their supporters, because most people in developing countries like Indonesia could not separate political and personal affairs.

He added two million people, or 10 percent of the 20 million who had difficulty handling stress, needed medical treatment for stress-related illnesses like psychosomatic, depression and anxiety.

"People who suffer such illnesses have a high suicide risk. They may commit suicide if they have opportunity," said Yul, who is also director of Dharma Graha Special Hospital, which treats such patients.

He also believed that the number of suicide cases was far higher this year than those reported by media due to the combined stress factors.

In January, 18 suicide attempts were made in Jakarta, most of them successful, whereas Jakarta Police recorded only six suicide attempts the month before.