Jakarta, IO – The new Government policy to loosen the requirement of mask wearing, along with the lowering of the Covid-19 infection curve seems to be a cause of joy for many. However, the pandemic’s two-year stint has given rise to numerous negative impacts, especially in terms of people’s mental health. Yet this very incidence causes a widespread awareness of the importance of maintaining mental health – something largely ignored or even denied by many over the years.
“The pandemic causes new mental health problems among people, or worsens existing problems. Some people suffer mental and neurological problems, and/or suffer from substance abuse, because of the pandemic,”’ said the Ministry of Health’s Director General of Mental Health, drg. R. Vensya Sitohang, M.Epid, in a press conference held in Bali last Friday (13/05/2022).
The prevalence of mental issues is double that of the time before the pandemic. Dr. dr. Hervita Diatri, Sp.KJ(K) reported that different groups suffer from different sorts of mental problems, and therefore must be administered different treatments.