Monday (19/7) the Center for Public Mental Health (CPMH) of the Faculty of Psychology UGM held the opening of the Online Summer Lecture Series 2021. This year the CPMH took the theme “Predicting The Long-term Effect of Covid-19 Pandemic: Recommendation to Strength Mental Health Systems”. This event is the opening of a series of online lecture webinar events that will be held until August 4th.
The opening ceremony starts at 13.00 WIB and ends at 15.00 WIB. The event was attended by 99 participants. The opening of this event was also attended by the Dean of the Faculty of Psychology UGM, Prof. Dr. Faturochman, M.A. and Head of CPMH Diana Setiyawati, S.Psi., Psi, MHSc., Ph.D.
The speakers at the opening of the Online Summer Lecture Series were Prof. Harry Minas, Associate Professor and Head of Global and Cultural Mental Health Unit, Center for Mental Health, Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, The university of Melbourne who gave a presentation entitled “The ideal mental health system to prepare for the impact of the pandemic”.
Covid-19, which is endemic in almost all regions and countries, has had a huge impact on all citizens of the world. The rapid spread of the virus and the high death rate require each individual to change their lifestyle to reduce mobility, interaction, and implement strict health protocols. This greatly affects the economic stability of communities around the world.
“…the impact is sustain on pretty much every aspect of life. On individuals, some families, communities, all societies, and on local and national economics,” said Minas.
The pandemic, said Minas, has made humans learn many things. One of them is how to protect people’s mental health in difficult circumstances.
On the other side, the community must also work together to face the pandemic regardless of their work background. Starting from health workers working on the front lines, delivering food and medicine, electrical installation officers, as well as people from any sector, synergize with each other. Each individual is an important component in the pandemic handling system.
Minas also stated that the pandemic has also affected the mental health service system. Some mental health services in various sectors have been reduced or even disappeared. This is very ironic because during the pandemic, many people need mental resilience to face the rapid changes in life and the losses experienced during the pandemic.
“…disruption in mental health promotion-type activities is something that will have an impact for a long time,” explains Minas.
Public health services, life safety guarantees and economic protection are indeed top priorities. But Minas added that mental health will be very important and have a long-term impact. Therefore, a well-running mental health service system will be very important for efforts to accelerate the improvement of the health, social and economy of the community.
A good mental health system requires the presence of the government to lead, regulate and make policies on a national scale. The government is also responsible for providing infrastructure, information and mental health services. In addition, an ongoing mental health system needs to be accompanied by research, monitoring, and evaluation.
“…and I think the century member is that good mental health at the population level and an individual levels is not possible without they should social foundation for good mental health,” Minas explained.
The government must have a long-term plan to restore the mental state of the community after the disaster. According to Minas, the ideal mental health system includes at least 7Cs, namely caring, capable, comprehensive, connected, curious, changing, and cost-effective. Coupled with the flexibility and local approach, the consistent implementation of this mental health system is expected to have a better impact on society in the future.