Stress Relievers

Riliv helps to ease stress by connecting users to professional psychologists and encouraging them to meditate.

- Ester Christine Natalia

Audrey Maximillian Herli (left) and Audy Christopher Herli

Awareness about mental health issues has been rising lately. More people are now brave enough to share their personal stories in overcoming mental health by seeking help from professionals, something that previously would result in negative stigma. In 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) stated that more than 300 million of the world’s population were suffering from depression, which is the most prevalent mental disorder and one of the biggest causes of suicide. In Indonesia, the Health Ministry noted in the Basic Health Survey (Riskesdas) 2018 that the prevalence of depression in the population was 6.1%, about 14 million people, yet only 9% of these receive medical treatment.

However, getting professionals to help overcome mental health issues is not that easy in this country. Besides the negative stigma that still persists, albeit starting to decline, there are relatively few professional clinical psychologists and these are mostly based on Java Island. According to the Association of Clinical Psychologists (IPK) Indonesia, there are only 1,751 verified clinical psychologists listed as members, and only 75 community health centers (Puskesmas) and 286 hospitals throughout Indonesia provide a clinical psychologist service.