VIVAnews - As many as 40 thousand people in West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) have been suffering from serious mental disorder in the last three years.
In the mean time, 12.8 percent of the population, or around 480 thousand, are mentally and emotionally ill, Chief of NTB Asylum Elly Rosila Wijaya told reporters in Mataram, NTB.
Bima is home for the highest number of people with mental disorder by 1.5 percent of the total population in the province. "Most of the mentally ill are reluctant of checking their condition to the hospital. They chose psychic instead," she said on Monday, Dec 14.
She moreover noted that in 2009, the asylum has nursed around 852 patients.
Dealing with the issue, the mental hospital once again sends up services outside of the hospital. It has coordinated with 14 health centers in five regencies and cities in Lombok Island as of September 2009.
Economic issue has been the top problem triggering mental disorder as 70 percent of the patients are those of low-economic strata.
"The number of the mentally-ill is increasing. Everyone must be cautious of this fact and be more open," she said.
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Coverage by: Edy Gustan | Mataram
Translated by: Bonardo Maulana Wahono
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