Category: News

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The Washington Times Joined The Mental Health Troops

One by one, attention from foreign journalist come across the globe to help bring awareness for mental illness in Bali. “I can’t promise anything but only hope that the news will spread up quickly and wider”, said Marek Lenarcik as the freelance journalist for The Washington Times during his visit with the agent Orange in the north part of Bali. Inadequate mental health system support and insufficient hospital-based interventions leave many patients in restrain or untreated. Outreach services have not been nationally promoted as a means of improving access and mental health outcomes.

washington-times

“We have to work hard not just for the patients but also to make the policy maker think about the reality in this island that many people still suffering from chronic mental disorders”, said Professor Suryani as the founder of Suryani Institute for Mental Health.

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French Television Uncovered the Mentally Ill in Bali

The darkside of paradise finally gained a lot of attention from outside the island of Bali that hide more than 7000 people with chronic mental disorder. The french television putted so much attention for the suffering of the patients. “We couldn’t believed what we saw in the youtube, we thought it was only a joke”, said Sebastien as the executive producer for the project uncover the darkside of the paradise. No word can discribe the feeling after saw the reality of the patients. “Many of them have been restricted for more than 5 years, the family just felt hopeless with the situation”, said Professor Suryani as the leading psychiatrist and the only one that willing to sacrifice the time and heart to help the one that left untreated.

french-tv

“We will broadcast to many countries as we can, so there will be more awareness and help to the people”, promised Sebastien.

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Donation from Denmark Community – Western Australia

After the first visit in July 2009, another visit from Denmark Community in Western Australia continues to donate some fund for Suryani Institute (11/7) in helping mental disorders in Bali. “This is just the beginning, we will keep coming back and hopely to support more”, said Steven and Lorraine Ransley in their visit to the institute. The connection has been made to help the institute in treating mental disorder after SBS broadcast their documentary film “Bali’s Shame”.  The awareness and pressure from outsider is what they need after no attention from the government to make mental health as their priority program. “More than 7000 people are suffering from chronic mental disorder that not been treated for more than 5 years”, as Professor Suryani trying to explain the fact in Bali.

Donation from Denmark Community-Western Australia

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Support from Yayasan Gotong Royong Belanda for Mental Health Program

After running the crisis center called Layanan Hidup Bahagia in Singaraja for almost 3 years, finally the center got a support from Yayasan Gotong Royong Belanda. The center had identified almost 300 people diagnosed with schizophrenia and 15 of them were in restrained in 4 kecamatan out of 9 kecamatan. The center projected that there are 7000 people all over Bali were mentally ill left untreated. The Buleleng government itself think that mental health is not their main priority and for this the support is never reach for this project. The center had treated almost half of the patient that they identified with almost all of them can back to their normal social functioning.
Yayasan Gotong Royong Belanda through Made Cornelis Blok, agreed to help with the project with 3(tiga) juta per month during one year (1), that is for the 15 patients who receive the combination-medication with incl. the injection; so the total amount for 2009 will be Rp 36.000.000; “We feel so happy that finally there are attention from others about the mental health condition in Singaraja”, said Gus Alit as the project coordinator in Singaraja last week (22/2).


Meeting in Seririt for prevention program through elementary school


Outreach program to find and give intervention for the patient