It's still a long way to break the stigma in Indonesia.
Hana Alfikih, or as we may call 'Hana Madness' is a doodle artist who advocates the importance of mental health in Indonesia. Her obsession with UK Ska band Madness resulting in her nickname, and I've got a chance to talk about her journey as an artist who is also diagnosed to have bipolar personality disorder.
A very smart, fluent and talented female artist stood before me as we converse about love, family, and her dark days before she found out about her mental condition. Hana shared her story about struggling at school on her early age, and felt that her life at home was just as challenging. She have always known that she was ‘different,’ and how difficult it was for her and her family to face the 'demons' that she feels living inside her. Hana was very candid about her struggle to face the illness, as well as the denial that she and all of her family faced before she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder.
"A family friend told me to go to some Ustad to get a ruqyah treatment," she told me. "But when I finally went [to the Ustad], he told me to go find a Psychiatrist." Hana paints the picture perfectly on how the negative stigma around mental illness in Indonesia is still something that we need to fight for. Even with younger generations pushing social media contents about healing and anxiety, the discussion around mental illness are still somewhat taboo.
Mental illness stigma affects almost everything in a patient's life, from personal relationships to performance at school or at work. It also prevents people with mental health problems from seeking help and treatment. In 2021, it still is one of the greatest obstacles for people suffering from mental illness to get properly treated.
In Indonesia, recognition and understanding of mental illness remain appallingly low. Through Pejuang Pulih by POPBELA.com, we're hoping to spread positive awareness about the importance of discussing mental health in a positive light, while slowly trying to facilitate experts and connecting helps to those in need.
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