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View all search resultsPeople with mental illness need greater say in care
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W
hile Indonesia grapples with gaps in mental health services, people with mental illness should have a greater say in their care and be involved in treatment decisions to better support recovery, a media briefing held to mark World Mental Health Day has said.
Patients’ needs and experiences are often overlooked by both professionals and their families, leaving them without agency to shape their own care, psychiatrist Hervita Diatri of Cipto Mangunkusumo General Hospital (RSCM) told the Health Ministry media briefing in Jakarta on Friday.
“It takes a great deal of effort to bring patients to health facilities [...] only for doctors to talk to their family rather than directly to the patients themselves,” Hervita said, describing the common practice in Indonesia.
Mental health services remain professional-oriented, she added, with doctors diagnosing patients and prescribing medication without adequately involving them in the decisions.
Health Ministry primary and community health director general Maria Endang Sumiwi said improving mental health services requires efforts not only from the government, professionals and the public but also those directly affected.
“They have diverse needs and ways of interacting, so services must be inclusive,” she said at the briefing. “Good policies should be developed with the participation of the people who experience these conditions.”
However, access remains a major challenge. Of Indonesia’s more than 10,000 community health centers (Puskesmas), only about 6,500 provide mental health services and are staffed with clinical psychologists.
