Social anxiety disorder, still neglegted in Indonesia – its appearance and distress in Java

N. Vriends, Faculty of Psychology Basle

Mental disorders are common in all regions of the world, affecting every community and age group across countries of all income levels. Currently 14% of the global burden of disease is attributed to these disorders and the World Health Organization expects that this rate will increase enormously in the next decades. In low- and middle-income countries, where more than 75% of the people with a mental disorder live, research into the psychopathology, treatment and prevention of mental disorders is limited.
Recent studies show ethnic and cultural variations in the psychopathology of mental disorders. Accordingly, it can be assumed that although there is a large amount of knowledge regarding psychopathology and treatment of mental disorder of the high-income regions (e.g. Europe and North-America), this can unfortunately not be transfused to mental disorders of the low- or middle-income regions. Therefore research that addresses the expression and phenomenology of various forms of psychopathology in low- and middle-income cultures is needed.

The present project focuses on the expression and maintenance factors of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in Yogyakarta (Java, Indonesia). SAD (also called social phobia) has a ubiquitous and serious nature. Its main feature is a marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations. With lifetime prevalence rates between 7 and 13 % it is at least in the high-income nations the most prevalent anxiety disorder and third most prevalent disorder in general. Untreated SAD is associated with co-morbid psychiatric disorders, chronic health problems, financial dependence, suicidal ideation, family problems, and low social functioning. As this chronic disorder often develops during childhood or middle adolescence, it typically precedes other disorders such as depression and other anxiety disorders, and can therefore be seen as an early marker for a “psychiatric career”.
Despite its serious nature, SAD is still neglected in Indonesia.

The proposed project aims to investigate the phenomenology of SAD, patterns of distress, stigma and help-seeking behavior in Java. Therewith it will add local cultural dimension(s) to prevailing etiological and clinical models of SAD and contribute to the development of culturally sensitive treatments and prevention programs of SAD.

Partners:
Prof. Dr. J. Hadiyono
Faculty of Psychology
Gadjah Mada University
Yogyakarta 55281
Indonesia
jep.sukun@yahoo.com
jepe@ygy.centrin.net.id

Dr. N. Vriends
Faculty of Psychology
Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy
Missionsstrasse 60/62
4055 Basel
Switzerland
http://www.psycho.unibas.ch/vriends
noortje.vriends@unibas.ch

L. Novianti
Faculty of Psychology
Gadjah Mada University
Yogyakarta 55281
Indonesia
peppy_rame@yahoo.com


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		Programme de bourses "Echanges Universitaires" Social anxiety disorder, still neglegted in Indonesia – its appearance and distress in Java N. Vriends, Faculty of Psychology Basle Mental disorders are common in all regions of the world, affecting every community and age group across countries of all income levels. Currently 14% of the global burden of disease is attributed to these disorders and the World Health Organization expects that this rate will increase enormously in the next decades. In low- and middle-income countries, where more than 75% of the people with a mental disorder live, research into the psychopathology, treatment and prevention of mental disorders is limited. Recent studies show ethnic and cultural variations in the psychopathology of mental disorders. Accordingly, it can be assumed that although there is a large amount of knowledge regarding psychopathology and treatment of mental disorder of the high-income regions (e.g. Europe and North-America), this can unfortunately not be transfused to mental disorders of the low- or middle-income regions. Therefore research that addresses the expression and phenomenology of various forms of psychopathology in low- and middle-income cultures is needed. The present project focuses on the expression and maintenance factors of social anxiety disorder (SAD) in Yogyakarta (Java, Indonesia). SAD (also called social phobia) has a ubiquitous and serious nature. Its main feature is a marked and persistent fear of one or more social or performance situations. With lifetime prevalence rates between 7 and 13 % it is at least in the high-income nations the most prevalent anxiety disorder and third most prevalent disorder in general. Untreated SAD is associated with co-morbid psychiatric disorders, chronic health problems, financial dependence, suicidal ideation, family problems, and low social functioning. As this chronic disorder often develops during childhood or middle adolescence, it typically precedes other disorders such as depression and other anxiety disorders, and can therefore be seen as an early marker for a “psychiatric career”. Despite its serious nature, SAD is still neglected in Indonesia. The proposed project aims to investigate the phenomenology of SAD, patterns of distress, stigma and help-seeking behavior in Java. Therewith it will add local cultural dimension(s) to prevailing etiological and clinical models of SAD and contribute to the development of culturally sensitive treatments and prevention programs of SAD. Partners: Prof. Dr. J. Hadiyono Faculty of Psychology Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta 55281 Indonesia jep.sukun@yahoo.com jepe@ygy.centrin.net.id Dr. N. Vriends Faculty of Psychology Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy Missionsstrasse 60/62 4055 Basel Switzerland http://www.psycho.unibas.ch/vriends noortje.vriends@unibas.ch L. Novianti Faculty of Psychology Gadjah Mada University Yogyakarta 55281 Indonesia peppy_rame@yahoo.com