“Recent research conducted by the Health Research and Development Agency of the Ministry of Health found an around 6.8-percent increase in anxiety disorders," Sub-Coordinator for Children and Adolescents’ Mental Health Problems at the Ministry of Health Dr. Juzi Delianna, M. Epid stated during a discussion monitored online here Friday.
Apart from an increase in the cases of anxiety disorder, the doctor noted that an 8.5-percent increase was recorded in cases of depression.
According to the Health Ministry's data, during 2020, as many as 18,373 people were diagnosed with anxiety disorder, over 23 thousand people experienced depression, and 1,193 people had attempted suicide.
Meanwhile, data from the Indonesian Psychiatrists Association (PDKJI) recorded that in the first five months of the COVID-19 pandemic, most psychological problems were found in people aged 17-29 years and older adults aged over 60 years.
Director for Prevention and Control of Mental Health and Drug Problems at the Ministry of Health, Celestinus Eigya Munthe, remarked that in order to overcome mental health problems, his side had made efforts, so that all public health centers (puskesmas) can provide mental health services.
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However, out of some 10 thousand public health centers, only about six thousand public health centers in the country had provided mental health services due to the lack of human resources and adequate infrastructure.
According to Munthe, mental health services provided at public health centers could be covered by the National Health Insurance (JKN) owned by the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan).
He also informed that people can be referred to mental hospitals if the public health center was unable to offer adequate mental health services.
To facilitate the provision of mental health services amid the pandemic, Munthe spoke of his side also making the medicines required by patients available at public health centers.
"Currently, we are encouraging almost all mental hospitals in Indonesia to have telecounseling mobile applications to maximize their efforts in providing counseling services to the community," Munthe affirmed.
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Translator: Hreeloita Dharma, Raka Adji
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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