Thousands of Jakartans suffer from mental ilness

JAKARTA (JP): Between 9,000 and 27,000 of Jakarta's nine million people suffer from a serious mental disorder, 10 percent of whom need to undergo special treatment, said a health official yesterday.

Dr. Karcipto who heads the Mental Health Division of the Ministry of Health told a one-day seminar that rapid changes in urban areas, and financial problems, are the main factors that cause people to suffer from depression.

"People living in big cities who come from poor backgrounds and who have little education are forced to adapt themselves to the new environment. Those who can't stand the changes eventually get stressed," he said.

The seminar, adopting the theme "Building a Harmonious Family", was held to mark World Mental Health Day.

Mental health has nothing to do with insanity but is something everyone needs to achieve a harmonious life, said Karcipto.

"Mental health is about the feelings of contentment and happiness which allow people to face life's challenges. It opens peoples minds to accept others as they are and not as what we think they should be, and it helps people adopt a positive attitude," said Mrs. Yogie SM, wife of the Home Minister, who participated at the meeting.

Mental depression is prevalent not only among the poor or people with marginal incomes, but also among the haves and among youngsters from broken-homes, said Karcipto.

Mental depression, if untreated, can lead to "psycho-social problems" that could increase the number of juvenile delinquencies and cases of drug and alcohol addiction, he said.

As mental depression is the fifth most serious health issue in the country, the government-run Agency for the Development of People's Mental Health in Jakarta has mapped out a number of programs to address mental health issues.

Since its establishment in 1986, the Agency has built several consultation clinics for teenagers in different districts, and mental health services have been opened in local government clinics. Efforts have been made to improve the skills of paramedics in treating their patients, and to help school counselors cope with juvenile delinquencies.

The City administration plans to build a local hospital in the future, with services for the mentally ill and for families facing marriage or other social problems. (04)