JakartaPost-May 13, 2025
According to the 2023 Indonesia Health Survey (SKI) by the Health Ministry, West Java has the highest depression rate in the country at 3.3 percent, more than double the national average of 1.4 percent. The West Java administration is seeking to assign clinical psychologists to all puskesmas (community health centers) across the province, in response to mounting concerns over the region’s depression rate which is the highest in the country. West Java Deputy Governor Erwan Setiawan said the policy is a crucial step toward improving the prevention, early detection, intervention and rehabilitation of mental health issues across the province. “Integrating clinical psychologists into primary healthcare centers could also ease the burden on referral hospitals and mental health facilities,” he said over the weekend. Erwan said the province aims to deploy clinical psychologists to 300 to 500 puskesmas by next year, with plans to gradually expand coverage to all 1,000 centers across West Java in the coming years. According to the 2023 Indonesia Health Survey (SKI) by the Health Ministry, West Java has the highest depression rate in the country at 3.3 percent, more than double the national average of 1.4 percent. It means that over 1.6 million of West Java’s 51.1 million residents are affected by depression.
“This survey should serve as a serious wake-up call for everyone. We must accelerate mental health services in the community and work to transform West Java from the province with the highest depression rate to the happiest province,” West Java secretary Herman Suryatman said on Friday. Herman explained that the high depression rate in the province is largely attributed to economic pressures, family instability, which is reflected in the province’s high divorce rates, and a rise in online debt and gambling, including among children.
