Agrianita IPB University Organises Talkshow on Mental Health in Teenagers
Agrianita IPB University organised a talk show on mental health in adolescents with the topic ‘Recognising Early Symptoms and How to Overcome Mental Health Problems in Adolescents online on Thursday (15/6) and presented a resource person dr Lahargo Kembaren, psychiatrist of Mental Hospital (RSJ) dr H Marzoeki Mahdi Bogor. Chairperson of Agrianita IPB University, Retna Widayawati said that this talk show was the final event of the seven series of activities at the Kartini Festival held since last May.
“The theme of this talk show is still related to the previous talk show about the three big sins in education, namely sexual violence, intolerance and bullying. It is not impossible that the mental health problems that occur in adolescents today are triggered by the three things above. Therefore, Agrianita IPB University tries to continue to be adaptive to various issues and problems and continues to strive to make a positive contribution to the IPB University community and society through useful programmes,” she said.
Doctor Lahargo Kembaren, a resource person at the talk show said, nowadays it is very important to maintain mental health or soul. According to him, it is as important as maintaining physical health.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has woken us up, because several journals, surveys and even the World Health Organization (WHO) say that the pandemic has increased the incidence of mental disorders, especially anxiety disorders or depression in adolescents,” he explained.
He continued, the survey results showed that one in three adolescents had mental health problems.
“The survey of the Indonesian Psychiatric Association (PDSKJI) states that 75 per cent of Indonesian people experience psychological problems and there are psychological or mental disorders ranging from children, adolescents, adults to parents. This means that we as parents who have psychological problems will certainly have an impact on the children we care for in their daily lives,” said Dr Lahargo.
He also explained the various causes, symptoms and ways to recover from psychological problems by focusing on what can be controlled. This includes thoughts, attitudes and behaviours, self love and stress management. Last but not least, he also suggested avoiding overthinking.
“If we experience stress, we first identify the symptoms. After that we validate, then write down what we feel or tell stories. Keep a healthy lifestyle and start doing stress management,” she concluded.
On that occasion, Haniel Victor Jayaputra, a mental health survivor also shared his experience. Haniel said that he once experienced hallucinations until he finally went to a psychiatrist. Then, in 2017 he was bullied at school until his doctor diagnosed him with bipolar.
“I realised that I could recover until now because of family support, especially my parents. I also joined a healthy class at the rehabilitation centre on hydroponics. Until now, I can use this knowledge to set up a business,” Haniel explained. Haniel advised that mental illness is not everything, but there is still hope for all to rise and recover as before.
This talk show is part of the Kartini 2023 Festival series of activities. Apart from the talkshow, other activities that have been held include Kartini Day (8-19 May), DWP Insight (11 May), Free Health Check (23-24 May 2023), Cooking Competition (23 May 2023), Art Performance (24 May 2023) and Bazaar (23-24 May). (Lp/Rz) (IAAS/RUM)
