June 26th, 2019, Kim Ho
One in seven have had mental health issues
Latest YouGov research finds that over a quarter (27%) of Indonesians have experienced suicidal thoughts.
While two in ten (21%) ‘rarely’ have suicidal thoughts, 6% of Indonesians have them frequently. Women tend to experience this more than men (33% vs. 22%), and younger Indonesians (aged 18 to 24) have higher instances of suicidal thoughts than older Indonesians (aged 55 and above) (33% vs. 20%).
Over one thirds (36%) of Indonesians have engaged in self-harm. This is particularly prevalent for younger Indonesians, with over two in five (45%) having self-harmed. Among younger Indonesians, data shows that 7% self-harm frequently.
One in seven (15%) have experienced some form of mental health issues in their lifetime. Younger Indonesians are six times more likely to state that they have had mental health issues than older Indonesians (aged 45 and above) (24% vs. 4%).
The most commonly experienced mental health issues are anxiety (69%) and depression (58%). However, only two in five (42%) of those with mental health issues go on to seek professional help for it. Men are more likely to seek help than women (45% vs. 39%) and those with a university degree or higher are more likely to seek help than those without a university degree (49% vs. 38%).
The main barrier to getting professional help is being unsure of where to get help (46%), followed closely cost (45%). Other reasons include embarrassment or social stigma (33%) and concerns about time commitment (25%).
Overall, Indonesians tend to treat mental health seriously. A large majority (91%) believe that mental health should be taken as seriously as physical health. Over three quarters (77%) agree that mental health should be covered by insurance, and nine in ten (89%) think that employees ought to be entitled to medical leave for mental health issues.
Jake Gammon, Head of Omnibus APAC at YouGov Omnibus commented: “Many people with mental health issues suffer in silence, as seen by the significant amount of people who choose not to seek help. An alarming number of Indonesians experience damaging behaviour like suicidal thoughts and self-harm, particularly prevalent among young adults. We hope this survey sheds light on the topic of mental health, and how it affects people differently.”
***Results based on 1,018 Indonesians surveyed by YouGov Omnibu