T

he Bali administration has paid little attention to the growing number of mental health sufferers on the island, according to a local health expert.

Cokorda Jaya Lasmana told reporters, on the sidelines of a recent seminar on pedophilia and its effects on young people in Bali, that an estimated 7,000 people were suffering from mental health problems.

"We have conducted a series of surveys in Buleleng in North Bali and Karangasem in East Bali. We found more than 2,000 people with various mental health problems in these two regencies," the doctor said.

Bali has eight regencies including Denpasar, Klungkung, Gianyar, Buleleng, Tabanan, Karangasem, Jembarana and Badung.

"Therefore, we made a rough calculation that there are at least 7,000 mental health patients in Bali," Cokorda added.

Bali has only one mental health institution in Bangli regency, which has a very limited capacity and human resources to deal with the mounting number of mental health patients.

Mental health problems range from light to serious cases including depression and schizophrenia.

The majority of Balinese families have little understanding of how to deal with mental health patients.

"Many mental health patients are locked in rooms or even cages like animals. This happens in Buleleng regency and even in big cities like Denpasar," the doctor said.

Dozens of others were to be found in the villages and streets of Bali.

One family, who preferred to remain anonymous, has an adult son, Sucita, who is suffering from serious mental health problems.

"For Balinese families, it is like a curse. We are ashamed of having a *crazy' kid like Sucita. So we sent him to Bangli *mental health institution* before he escaped from the hospital a few months ago," one of Sucita's brothers said.

In addition to seeking medical help, this Balinese family performed series of rituals to ward off any evil spirits from Sucita's mind and body.

"We believed that evil spirits could have penetrated my brother's mind. We are afraid that it could last forever," Sucita's brother Wisnu said.

Dr. Cokorda said a lack of understanding on mental health has prevented many patients from obtaining medical assistance.

"It is a curable and preventable medical and mental problem that can be intervened in its early stages when they *families* understand the symptoms," the doctor said.

People with mental health problems should have medical and psychiatric consultations to diagnose the stages of the problems.

"Families must take the patients to get expert help," the doctor added.

The Bali administration has provided minor assistance to help mental health patients get medical assistance.

Citing an example, Karangasem regency has 895 serious mental health patients.

However, only one third of the patients obtained proper medications. In Buleleng, 800 patients received assistance from the Suryani Institute for Mental Health.

The institute received funding from the Gotong Royong Foundation and German-based Stiftung Bredtmasspuren.

"We have very limited funding and facilities, while at the same time, a lot of mental patients still need our help," the doctor said.