Populix Research: Teleconsultation Services Interested by Indonesians for Mental Health Treatment

The teleconsultation platform is one of the channel which is widely used by a number of people in Indonesia in accessing mental health services. This is described in the report "Indonesia's Mental Health State and Access to Medical Assistance" published by market research platform startup Populix.

In conjunction with World Mental Health Day 2022, Populix conducted a survey with a total of 1.005 respondents; consists of men and women in the age segment ranging from 18 to 54 years in Indonesia.

In his findings, mental health services were accessed through a number of ways, including consultation with a psychiatrist/psychologist at the nearest health facility (61%), use a teleconsultation app (54%), join community groups focused on mental health (38%), and talk to religious leaders (36%).

As many as 87% of respondents admitted to using an application for teleconsultation for mental health services because it is easy to access, 76% said it can be used anywhere and anytime, 63% chose it because of the affordable cost, reasons for guaranteed information security (61%), and looking for the right solution (40). %).

Meanwhile, as many as 46% of the respondents spent less than Rp. 100 to use teleconsultation for mental health services, followed by costs ranging from Rp. 100 thousand to Rp. 250 thousand (42%), Rp. 250 thousand to Rp. 400 thousand (97%), and above Rp. 400 thousand (5 %).

The two main factors that trigger this mental health disorder include financial problems (59%) and feeling lonely (46%). In addition, other triggering reasons are work pressure factors (37%) and past trauma (28%).

Previously, the World Health Organization (WHO) had stated that the Covid-19 pandemic had worsened the world's mental health conditions and created a global crisis that had an impact on short-term and long-term mental health. Mental health disorders are one of the health issues that get a lot of attention in the world.

Referring to the 2018 Basic Health Research (Riskesdas) report, as many as 19 million people in Indonesia in the segment aged over 15 years experienced mental emotional disorders, while more than 12 million people aged over 15 years experienced depression.

"Various problems such as uncertain economic conditions, feeling of loneliness after a long period of social distancing, job demands, and relationship problems that arise in these times have also affected the mental health of many people," said Populix Co-founder and COO Eileen Kamtawijoyo. in the official statement.

Startups focus on mental wellness

The development of information, it is undeniable that it also triggers an increase awareness on the importance of mental health in Indonesia. It is becoming easier for people to access mental health services virtually with the development of platforms for similar service providers.

A number of leading Venture Capital (VC) are also starting to look mentally focused startup well-being, such as Riliv, Talk.id, To me, to Maxi . Interestingly, the services offered are not only for individuals, but there are those that focus on the professional worker market segment.

For Co-founder Ami Justin Kim, Indonesia's rapid economic growth has the potential to trigger increased stress in some workplaces. Meanwhile, workers in Asia are the most stressed workers in the world with poor access to stress management resources.

There is now a new generation of employees who are more value-oriented than their predecessors. This new generation is looking for a truly holistic, authentic and balanced work-life environment.