'Terror, reform, polls cause great stress'

'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.