Govt Sets Up Free Mental Health Call Center amid Pandemic
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1 May 2020 22:26 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Health Ministry has set a hotline extension for mental health services to facilitate those who are looking for consultation during the COVID-19 pandemic. The public can also self-check examinations from the Indonesian Mental Health Specialist Doctors Association (PDSKJI) official website.
The public can access the mental health consultation services through the hotline 119 extension 9, while the hotline 119 extension 8 is for COVID-19 related services.
“Now, (hotline) 119 extension 8 can also be used to access mental health services. Hopefully, this will relieve the public of the mental health problems that may arise,” the Ministry's Director for Prevention and Handling of Mental Health and Substance Problems, Fidiansjah, said in a teleconference broadcasted on the National Disaster Mitigation Agency’s (BNPB) Youtube channel, on Friday, May 1.
The consultation can also be accessed free of charge through the telemedicine service application, Sehatpedia, or through the PDSKJI’s official website, www.pdskji.org.
The self-check mental health service, Fidiansjah explained, is divided into three categories, namely examination of anxiety, psychological trauma, and depression.
In doing the self-check, the public would be asked to answer a number of questions to inspect the mental health of the individual in question.
“The self-check will only take one to two minutes. Then, the user can immediately check the results; whether they are in a good condition or (if they are) going through anxiety and depression,” said Fidiansjah.
In the case that the self-check results indicated the individual to be experiencing anxiety disorders, depression, or psychological trauma; they will then be suggested to refer to a psychiatrist to get further treatment.
The PDSKJI has also opened a consultation on psychosocial issues through their official Instagram account @pdskji_indonesia. The public will only need to send a message, detailing information on the identity to the account and then, a psychiatrist from the PDSKJI will contact them to provide online consultation.
Fidiansjah emphasized that one thousand psychiatrists throughout the country are ready to provide mental health consultations to the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic. "Mental health is as important as physical health, do not hesitate to consult with mental health professionals," he added.
ANDITA RAHMA | Translator: DIO SUHENDA (Intern)
