Jakarta Is The Predicate Of A Happy City But Many Residents Are Depressed, Stafsus Pramono: Not Contrary, But Complementing

JAKARTA - Special Staff to the Governor of DKI Jakarta for Social Communication, Chico Hakim responded to the findings of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) which revealed that the percentage of people who experienced depression in Jakarta was higher than the national figure.

In fact, Jakarta is placed in 18th place out of the 20 happiest cities in the world according to the Time Out survey version. According to Chico, both of them are not conflicting.

"These two things do not conflict with each other, but rather complete. Jakarta does have many reasons to be proud of and loved by its citizens, but we are still aware that there is a segment of society that is struggling with mental health," Chico told reporters, Monday, November 24.

Chico explained that the title of the 'happy city' refers to the global survey Time Out 2025 which places Jakarta ranked 18th in the world as the most fun city to live in and visit. Thus, it has nothing to do with the psychological condition of the population.

"The assessment is based on culinary diversity, residents' hospitality, access to entertainment, green open spaces, and the spirit of mutual cooperation, not direct measurements of the level of depression," said Chico.

Furthermore, Chico assessed that the condition of 1.5 percent of Jakarta residents aged over 15 years experienced depression because Jakarta is a city with a fairly high burden on the lives of its citizens.

"This figure serves as a reminder to us that the pressures of life in the capital city are indeed real, and we continue to work hard to suppress that number," he said.

It is known, the Ministry of Health noted that the population of DKI Jakarta over the age of 15 who experienced depression reached 1.5 percent, slightly higher than the national figure in the range of 1.4 percent. This data was disclosed in an online seminar highlighting the health condition of the community's soul.

Mental health problems in this age group also occupy the second place out of ten diseases with the highest number of cases.

Meanwhile, West Java is listed as the province with the highest number of mental health problems, which is 4.4 percent, exceeding the national average of 2 percent. In Jakarta, the prevalence of mental health problems is at 2.2 percent based on the 2023 Indonesian Health Survey (SKI).

The Ministry of Health highlights the low access to treatment for people who experience mental disorders. Only a small number of people with anxiety and depression seek professional assistance. The lack of awareness of symptoms and negative stigma related to mental health are the main factors that prevent people from coming to psychologists or psychiatrists.

This stigma makes many people ignore early symptoms, which have the potential to cause conditions to worsen. In fact, early childhood treatment is important to prevent mild depression from developing into a more severe disorder.