Oral 1

[O-1-04] MULTIPERSPECTIVE INDONESIAN RELIGIOUS LEADERS VIEW ON MENTAL DISORDER AND CONFINEMENT (“PASUNG”) OF PATIENTS WITH MENTAL DISORDER

*Sak Liung¹, Soewadi Soewadi² (1.Panti Rapih Hospital(Indonesia), 2.Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Gadjah Mada(Indonesia))

Keywords:

religious leaders perspective,mental disorder,confinement

Background: Currently, there is still a stigma and discrimination against people with mental disorders, especially schizophrenia, because they are considered dangerous, so that some families in Indonesia carry out confinement.¹ Confinement is a social problem that is also caused by a lack of knowledge and social support for patients. To stop confinement, religious leaders must be involved. Because of their strong religious background, Indonesian people tend to ask their religious leaders to overcome mental disorders.Objectives: To know and discuss the views of religious leaders in Indonesia about mental disorders and confinement.Method: We conducted in-depth interviews with seven religious leaders (Islam, Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, & Sunda Wiwitan) in Yogyakarta, Indonesia.Results: There were relatively similar views from the answers of religious leaders in Indonesia to the research questions: (1) Are mental illness and disorders the same/not? (2) What causes mental disorders, can they be caused by supernatural powers and be cured? (3) Do your religious teachings discuss mental disorders and opinions about confinement?Discussion: Religious leaders state that: mental disorders and illnesses differ in severity and duration; mental disorders can be caused by stress, lack of resilience, gratitude, & faith; they are related to supernatural powers; it can be cured with a spiritual approach and religion can prevent mental disorders. The causes of mental disorders are influenced by local socio-cultural values such as ethnicity, religion, education, socio-economics, and others.² All religions prohibit confinement because that is violence that violates human rights. In conclusion, even though religious teachings differ, there are similarities in the views of religious leaders in Indonesia regarding mental disorders and confinement. This is in line with the philosophy of the Indonesian nation, namely "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika, tan hana dharma mangrwa" which means even though we are different, we are still one in truth.