Dr Nova Riyanti Yusuf is a Member of Parliament (2009-2014, 2018-2019), a psychiatrist, and the head of the Jakarta Psychiatric Association. She recently attended AIC Health’s mental health roundtable in Jakarta, and kindly agreed to reflect on her experiences as a lawmaker and mental health advocate. I didn’t expect to be left ‘waiting in […]
Mental health
Roundtable feeds building momentum for better mental health and wellbeing in Indonesia
With global attention on mental health in October, a diverse group of individuals all focused on improving the mental health of Indonesia’s young people came together in Jakarta recently, and exciting opportunities for stronger advocacy emerged. A roundtable around mental health data needs for Indonesian adolescents was hosted by the Health Cluster of the Australia-Indonesia Centre […]
Mental health matters for Indonesia’s farmers: education must complement laws and brochures
“We’ve had this mental health brochure since two years ago but I never use it because I am not confident in using it and I never had training on how to use it” – A health promotion officer in a village in Polewali Mandar, West Sulawesi By Dr Sudirman Nasir Recent research with cocoa […]
Embracing compassion and spreading awareness to prevent suicide in Indonesia
In 2016 the Indonesian Ministry of Health found that 16 million Indonesians aged 15 or older showed symptoms of depression and anxiety. This means that 1 out of every 19 Indonesians we each know is struggling with depression and anxiety. That survey aimed to understand citizens’ lived experiences in relation to mental health and wellbeing. […]