Psychiatrist: Mental Health Issues Need Attention To Face Demographic Bonuses

JAKARTA - Psychiatrist and President Director of the National Mental Health Center of the Mental Hospital, Dr. H. Marzoeki Mahdi (PKJN RSMM) Dr. dr. Nova Riyanti Yusuf, SpKJ, said mental health needs special attention when Indonesia will receive a demographic bonus starting in 2030.

"Indonesia will soon receive a demographic bonus, welcoming the golden generation, however, if mental health is not considered, this will be dangerous," Nova said during a visit to ANTARA's office in Jakarta, Saturday.

Based on predictions from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), Indonesia is expected to experience a demographic bonus in the period 2030-2040. This means that during that period the condition of the Indonesian people will be dominated by productive age (15-64 years) compared to non-productive age.

BPS estimates that there are at least 64 percent of the productive age of the total population projected, which is 297 million people.

This condition is a big advantage for Indonesia to become a country with high productivity. In the demographic term, conditions with the population are called convex pyramid.

If that happens, Indonesia's productivity will defeat Japan, which in the future will be more elderly.

If Indonesia wants to get demographic benefits, then there is no more effective way, except by increasing the number of young or productive entrepreneurs.

Although profitable, Nova said Indonesia needs to maintain human resources (HR) which are dominated by productive age, including the younger generation, one of which is about mental health cases which are increasing day by day. According to him, large amounts of human resources can be a strength, however, it can also be a threat if they are not well organized.

In addition to the social environment, Nova continued, things that may not be realized such as climate change, to the conditions of war that occur in the world have proven to cause anxiety to serious mental disorders in a person, as the WHO world health organization has also said.

This is what makes WHO create a special commission tasked with researching and overcoming this in the next three years. Meanwhile, Japan is already from WHO, where they made the Minister of Loneliness during the pandemic yesterday, Nova explained.