Out of Sight, Out of Mind? Mental Health Care in Indonesia - Professor Hans Pols

Despite having a population of over 260 million people, Indonesia has a mere 1,000 psychiatrists and an equal number of clinical psychologists. Funding for mental health care is around 1% of the country's health budget. Under these conditions, providing adequate mental health care is an enormous challenge. Furthermore, just like in many countries around the world, mental illness remains widely subject to negative judgements and stigmatisation in Indonesia. Gross human rights abuses against people living with mental illness are still prevalent across the archipelago, such as the practice of 'pasung', or shackling. Professor Hans Pols chats with Dr Natali Pearson about the stigma surrounding mental illness, community advocacy efforts and government policy to overcome stigma and eradicate controversial practices used to isolate people with mental illness from the community, and the future of mental health services in Indonesia. This episode coincides with the release of a special edition of 'Inside Indonesia' edited by Professor Hans Pols, dedicated to mental health care in Indonesia, which you can find at: https://www.insideindonesia.org/. About Professor Hans Pols: Hans has been investigating the history of medicine in the Dutch East Indies and Indonesia for several years as part of his research within the University of Sydney's School of History and Philosophy of Science. He has a special interest in the history of psychiatry that dates back to his childhood. In 2018, Hans published a book, 'Nurturing Indonesia: Medicine and Decolonisation in the Dutch East Indies', with Cambridge University Press, in which he analysed what motivated Indonesian physicians and medical students in the Dutch East Indies to participate in the political affairs of the colony. He subsequently published a two-volume edited book with essays, entitled 'Jiwa Sehat, Negara Kuat' ('Healthy Minds, Strong Nation'; a variation on a popular 1950s public health slogan in Indonesia), with KOMPAS. The book is the results of years of discussion between psychiatrists, psychologists, community mental health nurses, social workers, and patient advocates around innovative and successful mental health initiatives in Indonesia. You can follow Hans on Twitter @HansPols3.