"The way we think and feel emotion is called a hormone system. For example, if our serotonin hormone is low, it is called depression, (while) if the (level of) dopamine is high, it is schizophrenia," he stated at the commemoration of the 2023 World Mental Health Day as followed from the ministry's YouTube channel on Friday.
According to Sadikin, the most recent achievement in mental health science is the use of neuroscience to treat disorders of the nervous system related to the human mind.
He noted that the performance of human organs is controlled by blood vessels for the function of all organs, while organ movement is controlled by the nervous system.
"I want to challenge the doctors to learn more about the human brain. We already have heart and liver transplants, but we do not have a brain transplant. That means we have not understood how the brain works," he pointed out.
He stated that mental disorders are closely related to hormones that affect the nervous system in the sufferer's brain.
"We still have very low knowledge of this science (hormones)," he stated.
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Hence, his side is striving to develop mental health services in Indonesia by focusing on increasing the competency of community health center (puskesmas) officers through support from related specialist doctors.
"First, we need an early detection. We must be able to help the patients maintain their mental health and prevent the hormones from damaging the brain," he emphasized.
Moreover, the ministry will equip puskesmas officers with psychiatric competency to identify mental disorder patients in need of assistance.
"We need to be able to detect it early to avoid depression. It can also develop into schizophrenia," he cautioned.
The next stage after early detection is to find the right therapy method, Sadikin noted.
"There is a massive change in concept which will shift the focus from treating mental disorders at the hospital to preventive measures at puskesmas," he revealed.
World Mental Health Day is celebrated every October 10. This year, the Health Ministry raised the theme of "Healthy Soul, Healthy Indonesia."
The commemoration of Mental Health Day in Indonesia was marked by the kick-off activity for the Development of a Community-Based Mental Health Service Model in Manado, North Sulawesi, on Friday.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Resinta Sulistiyandari
Editor: Yuni Arisandy Sinaga
Copyright © ANTARA 2023
