The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), in collaboration with TVRI Yogyakarta, presents the fourth episode of OPSI: Psychological Talk, which aired on Tuesday, May 20, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM WIB. This episode addresses an important and sensitive topic titled "The Invisible Wounds: Understanding Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Appropriate Responses."

The Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, has once again received positive news from the international grant arena. Elga Andriana, S.Psi., M.Ed., Ph.D one of the faculty members, has been selected as a recipient of the Australian Alumni Grant 2025. This grant is a prestigious recognition awarded to Australian alumni who are considered to have significant potential to contribute to the development of education, collaboration, and community empowerment.

The Faculty of Psychology at Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) and TVRI Yogyakarta return with the latest episode of OPSI: Psychological Talk. The third episode aired on Tuesday, May 6, 2025, from 3:00 to 4:00 PM WIB, featuring the theme "Thriving Schools as the Foundation of a Golden Generation: Pillars of the Nation’s Future."

The article presents the effectiveness of Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)-based psychotherapy in treating individuals with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). BDD is a mental disorder characterized by an excessive preoccupation with perceived physical flaws that are often unnoticeable to others. This condition frequently leads to severe anxiety, social isolation, and a decline in quality of life.

In this case series, the researchers documented the ERP therapy process in several patients diagnosed with BDD. The therapy results demonstrated significant reductions in anxiety levels, compulsive behaviors, and social functioning impairments. ERP — a component of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) — proved effective in helping patients confront their fears without engaging in compulsive responses such as excessive mirror checking or seeking reassurance.

Furthermore, Riangga stated that this research not only contributes to clinical practice in the treatment of BDD but also supports Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3: Good Health and Well-being, particularly target 3.4, which emphasizes the importance of promoting mental health and reducing non-communicable diseases through appropriate prevention and treatment approaches.

Below is the introduction, keywords, and article link:

Introduction. Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by a persistent preoccupation with perceived physical flaws that are often unnoticed by others. It affects approximately 1.9–2.2 % of the population (Veale et al., 2016) and is associated with significant risks, including suicide attempts in 24–28 % of cases (Phillips, 2007). Effective treatment is critical. Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), a form of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), helps patients confront feared stimuli while resisting compulsive behaviors (Hyman and Pedrick, 2010). While randomized trials support CBT’s effectiveness (Wilhelm et al., 2019), research on BDD treatment in Indonesia remains limited despite the disorder’s prevalence and suicide risk.

This study examines three BDD patients receiving weekly online and in-person ERP at a Jakarta psychotherapy office. Patients consented to the anonymized data use for research. Assessments included the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ), Body Dysmorphic Disorder Questionnaire (BDDQ), and the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale Modified for Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD-YBOCS) (Jaya et al., 2024; Phillips et al., 1995; Phillips et al., 1997). Progress was tracked through symptom reduction and changes in BDD-YBOCS scores.

Keywords: Body Dysmorphic Disorder; Exposure and Response Prevention Therapy; Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Case Series

Link:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876201825001480?via%3Dihub read more

Yogyakarta, May 5, 2025 — A recent study titled “A bibliometric analysis on disaster volunteer resilience research: All time period”, published in the Scopus-indexed proceedings IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science 1479 012036, reveals global trends, collaborations, and key focuses in disaster volunteer resilience research.

The Faculty of Psychology, Universitas Gadjah Mada, through its Center for Public Mental Health (CPMH) team, has once again received international recognition with the successful awarding of funding for the proposal “Religion and Healing: Collaborative and Participatory Methodologies (RHEAL)” from the Horizon Europe Framework under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Staff Exchanges scheme. The RHEAL program focuses on developing cross-cultural and interdisciplinary approaches to healing in the field of mental health.