Happy World Mental Health Day, Time To Increase Access To Mental Health

World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10.

JAKARTA - Every year, World Mental Health Day is celebrated on October 10. According to the World Mental Health Federation, the theme for this year's celebration is "Mental Health in an Unequal World".

The World Health Organization (WHO) also highlighted World Mental Health Day as a step and effort by various parties, including governments from around the world, to improve the quality of life. mental health services at all levels.

Welcoming World Mental Health Day, KALM, a company engaged in mental health and mental health content creators, again held the KALMnesia 2 event on October 9 and 10. The title that was raised this time was KALMnesia: Mentally Balanced, Self-Developing.

A clinical psychologist who graduated from Gadjah Mada University, Zahrah Nabila, M.Psi, said that World Mental Health Day which is celebrated on October 10 is a momentum to increase equality of access to mental health in Indonesia.

"The current equality of access to mental health in Indonesia does not seem balanced enough. When wearing glasses in big cities, yes, it is widespread, anyone can access - from public services to the nearest community (puskesmas), hospitals, to private institutions," she said. Zahrah told ANTARA, Sunday.

However, when looking at small towns, Zahra assesses that access to the nearest hospital to get psychological services is still far from residential areas.

"Psychological services at health centers are also not fully distributed in the provinces of Indonesia," she added.

Furthermore, although there are now online consultation services that make it easier for everyone to access mental health services anywhere, there are still a number of problems that are obstacles for people in small towns to access mental health services.

"But again there are obstacles that not everything is okay to access an adequate signal and smartphone," said the woman who practices at Amazing Point of Balance.

"On the other hand, when there are services, they can also access them, sometimes there is a stigma or low support from people closest to or around them. So they back off to access existing mental health," she added.

Zahrah then hopes that mental health services will expand and be grounded in all corners of Indonesia.

"And more and more people are also opening up to the option of mental health services, to recover from psychological complaints, mental, emotional burden, or severe stress that occurs; then going to a psychologist or psychiatrist does not only mean having a serious problem or disorder, " she said.