The development of psychiatry in Indonesia: from colonial to modern times

During the colonial period, mental health care policy in the Dutch East Indies was centred on the mental hospital, which provided custodial care. In 1949, independent Indonesia inherited four very large mental hospitals, about 10 acute-care clinics in the major cities, and an agricultural colony. During the 1950s, mental hospital care remained largely custodial. In 1966, the Directorate of Mental Health adopted the three-fold principles of prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation as the foundation of a comprehensive mental health care system. During the 1970s and 1980s, the number of mental hospitals in Indonesia doubled and a variety of treatment methods were introduced. Special attention was given to the care provided by dukuns, or indigenous healers.