Category: Mental Health Project

Inadequacy of mental health system in Bali and the existence of two conflicting or at best uncoordinated therapeutic approaches (the traditional vs. medical interventions), both the prevalence of mental illness and the conditions of non-referrals have been largely unknown. Through a series of anecdotal evidence, reports from other provinces in Indonesia, and personal observations, a larger number of mentally ill individuals existed in the
community that were unreported and thus untreated.

“We’re trying to educate the health provider in the public health center on mental health issues, so they can aware in creating a healthy community they need also to incorporate the mental health”, said Professor Luh Ketut Suryani as the founder and director of Suryani Institute for Mental Health during her time giving workshop in Karangasem regency, where it is the one regency with the highest reported suicide rates on the island.

Continue reading “Educate Health Provider on Mental Health Issues”

The Suryani Institute for Mental Health just published an original paper from the study of untreated mentally ill people in Bali at European Archives of Psychiatry & Clinical Neuroscience. This study identified, mapped and treated the clinical features of mentally ill people, who had been isolated and restrained by family and community members as a result of a functional failure of the traditional medical, hospital-based mental health model currently practiced in Indonesia. A 10-month epidemiological population survey was carried out in Karangasem regency of Bali, Indonesia. A total of 404,591 individuals were clinically interviewed, of which 895 individuals with mental health problems were identified, with 23 satisfying criteria of physical restraint and confinement.

“Through the application of a holistic intervention model, all patients exhibited a remarkable recovery within 19 months of treatment”, said Professor Luh Ketut Suryani as one of the author beside  Dr Lesmana (Faculty of Medicine, Udayana University, Denpasar, Indonesia) and Dr Tiliopoulos (School of Psychology, The University of Sydney). This remarkable results still face big challenges as the government and the policy makers unwilling to change  their budget management for the mentally ill people.

Continue reading “Treating the Untreated”

It is no secret that Bali has known as a paradise island with thousand temples. But many here believe now that the paradise is getting closer to a hell. A 48 years old divorce woman with three children suffering mental illness for 12 years left untreated in the family compound with inhumane condition. She had her meal together with her faces and urine that never been clean nor any medication has been administered to her body.  The department of health and social welfare tried to go blind and deaf with this situation. In an island that wash with tourists dollars, everybody feel this is the paradise island without ever consider that around 9000 residence suffering chronic mental disorders and left untreated in the community.

“I feel so upset to see the reality that inside a luxurious building and temple were hide an inhumane condition, the animal seems to have a better life here that the human itself”, said Professor Luh Ketut Suryani after discovered the tragic situation of an woman nearly died in vain. Professor Suryani and her team has to went for many calls before they finally managed to find ambulance escorting the patient to general hospital near by.

Continue reading “Bali: Where Paradise meet Hell”

 A village in North Bali, which was disturbed by an allegation of zoophilia involving one of its residents, held a special meeting of traditional leaders to find a solution to an incident believed to have desecrated the community. The zoophilia, also known as zoosexuality and bestiality, is the practice of sex between humans and animals. A person who practices zoophilia is known as a zoophile. While sex with animals is not outlawed in some countries such as Finland, Denmark, Germany and Mexico, it is illegal under the animal abuse laws in most countries.

“He remembered entering a different world, where a beautiful girl approached him and seduced him into having sex with her. That’s how he recalled the incident,”  Professor Luh Ketut Suryani disclosed when she  was invited to the meeting, suggested that the cost should not be imposed on the offender and adding that the man considered killing himself out of shame after the incident. Suryani stated that she had interviewed the alleged culprit and concluded that the man suffered from acute depression due to economic problems.

 

 

Continue reading “Shocked by the Devils of North Bali”