Clinical psychologist Annelia Sari Sani has said that it is important to continuously educate people in Indonesia on mental health because among most communities in the country stigma still attaches to those with mental illnesses.

Proper education is important in finding solutions to mental health issues in Indonesia, she added.

“[The education starts] when people reach out. Reaching out for help is not a sign of weakness, it means we understand we are facing problems. This is a part of being resilient,” Annelia said on Friday during The Jakarta Post’s Jakpost Up Close webinar titled “Mental health during the pandemic: What you need to know”.

Quarantines and restricted mobility have brought changes to people’s lives as they fear that they themselves or their loved ones might contract the disease, lose jobs and income, or suffer from the uncertainty about when the pandemic will end.

A recent survey conducted by the University of Indonesia’s School of Medicine shows that 35 percent of its adult respondents had depressive symptoms during the early phase of the pandemic, five times the normal period, and almost half of these admitted to having suicidal thoughts.

People with preexisting mental health problems have also been unable to receive or have had to make do with limited services, which could lead to a relapse and the recurrence of mental health problems.

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