Referral opens trauma treatment center

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Smarting from flaws in the trauma healing of victims of disaster, Ciptomangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) introduced Tuesday a post-traumatic stress clinic offering a new approach to mental illness.

Apart from victims of disaster, the clinic seeks to treat victims of domestic violence.

RSCM managing director Akmal Taher said the clinic would not only provide medical treatment, but would also serve as a center for studies on post-traumatic stress.

The clinic, the first of its kind in Jakarta, is meant to be the national referral center for treatment of post-traumatic stress, Akmal said.

Over the last two years, the state-owned hospital has treated nearly 1,000 victims of abuse, mostly women and children, with 80 percent of them having been victims of domestic violence.

The coordinator of the clinic, Suryo Dharmono, said over 60 percent of violence victims were likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress, a psychological disorder marked by three main symptoms: avoidance, hyper arousal and flashbacks that last for more than a month.

"Psychological treatment for these victims of violence was previously neglected. We used to only have the psychiatry department, which patients don't want to be referred to, as they don't think they're suffering from mental illness.

"That's why we decided to open this clinic, which provides comfortable, private waiting and consultation rooms, and is separated (from other sections of the psychiatry department), just exactly as the patients need," said Suryo.

He said without proper treatment, victims of violence, especially children, could experience permanent negative changes in behavior and become perpetrators of abuse when they grew up.

Akmal said 50 percent of people living in disaster-prone areas might suffer from significant psychological stress, with the number of those experiencing post-traumatic stress ranging from 10 to 30 percent.

Suryo added that 37 percent of the victims of the 2004 Aceh tsunami were still suffering from post-traumatic stress even though three years had passed since the deadly catastrophe.

The clinic will also be open to individuals traumatized by other events, such as terror bombings, riots, social and political conflicts and traffic accidents.

Akmal said the clinic would apply both psychotherapy and pharmaco therapy in treating patients, depending on the results of early assessments.

The former would include cognitive behavior therapy, prolonged exposure therapy, counseling, homecare and hotline services, while the latter would include the use of anti-depressants.

The clinic, whose establishment received support from the Pfizer Foundation, is open to low-income patients holding either Gakin or Askeskin cards.

Gakin is the healthcare for the poor funded by the Jakarta administration, while Askeskin is funded by the central government. (wda)