Jakarta, IO – Mens sana in corpore sano. This ancient phrase, generally taken to mean “a sound mind resides in a sound body”, underlines the tight bond and importance of mental health to physical health. In short, no health without mental health. The WHO defines “health” in general not just as freedom from any illness, weakness, or flaws, but as an overall physical, mental, and social wellness. Our Ministry of Health adds “spiritual health” and “economic productivity” to the criteria.
dr. A. A. Ayu Agung “Agung” Kusumawardhani, Sp.KJ(K), Cipto Mangunkusumo Central General Hospital Jakarta’s psychiatric consultant and specialist, states that mental health problems cover an extremely wide range, from light to severe. A person has “mental problems” when changes in their minds and emotions affect their behavior so severely that they find it hard to carry on with normal daily activity. However, no matter the severity, the sufferer needs support from their family and friends to regain normalcy.
“We need to recognize the signs. We need to be alert when somebody who is usually cheerful suddenly becomes reserved and reclusive, or conversely, when a calm person suddenly becomes aggressive and seeks danger. These are important initial signs. True, they might not be suffering from a clinical problem, but we need to encourage them to see a doctor and identify what’s going on with them, so that they can get proper treatment and recover properly,” dr. Agung said in the “Help Me Recover: Journey Towards a Healthier Psyche” live IG session on Wednesday (21/09/2022).