Ramtau Sabun Village. Indonesia – For 15 years Rosmawati knew she was ill but she didn’t know with what. The 35-year-old woman would change state unconscious and go drink without notice seizing three to four times a day. “We thought that it was a congenital disease,” said Rosmawati. “Usually when she had an attack we would take her to the traditional healer in the village,” recalled her husband Ilyas. They also took her to the hospital in Banda Aceh three times but the medication they put her on didn’t seem to back up. The mystery of Rosmawati’s illness began to undo when she visited International Medical Corps’ mobile clinic. The diagnosis: epilepsy. The medication the hospital had administered had not worked because it hadn’t been given to her continuously. Generally epilepsy medication must be given for at least one year to be effective. Because she lived in a small village where access to continuous care was non-existent. Rosmawati and her family had virtually no options. International Medical Corps works to integrate mental health services into primary compassionate change surface in the most remote communities making it possible for people to get the help they need.
“When I first met Rosmawati she was very skinny. She didn’t go to the market she never left her house because she was afraid of a sudden attack,” said Muis the IMC-trained mental health nurse who cared for Rosmawati. A neurological disturb epilepsy has severe physical risks but it also has significant behavioral and cognitive consequences. Rosmawati’s condition was hard on her and the rest of her family. “I felt very sad when I saw my care sick,” said her teenage daughter Izawati. “I used to help her cook and would often just start crying.”“In the United States if you have epilepsy you would be referred to a neurologist. The U. S is a country where medicine is highly specialized and resources are available,” said Lynne Jones. International Medical Corps’ technical adviser in mental health. “In Indonesia epilepsy is a widely unaddressed need. It is regarded by the population as a mental illness and most often treated by traditional healers or general practitioners or psychiatrists.”
The reason many go to traditional healers is that in Indonesia as in many poor countries the mentally ill and epileptics are often seen as bewitched or suffering from evil spirits. Stigma is as big an obstacle for implementing mental health care services as are limited resources and a lack of skilled personnel. International Medical Corps not only treats the patient but also educates the community and local health workers. “When I’ve been working with traditional healers it is a great opportunity for me to show them that we can interact these conditions with medication,” Jones continued. Rosmawati had her last seizure ten days after International Medical Corps started her on medication. She has been seizure-free for more than six months. Her life has changed dramatically. “I can go out now and do my normal activities. I can accept invitations and interact with others.” Things she was unable to do for fifteen years. Muis visited her once a week checking on her physical and emotional state but also educating the family about her illness. That was just the beginning. “Because the society is not educated they were afraid of her disease,” said Ilyas her husband. “They were afraid of her because they thought she was contagious.” Izarwati’s classmates also asked a lot of questions.
Muis was one of many mental health nurses chosen by the community to be trained by IMC not to interact illness but to be a contact person for their village. They were given the skills to accept symptoms as well as cerebrate on preventative measures. They then took what they learned to the larger community. Teachers and parents learned about things desire childhood development and depression from International Medical Corps-trained mental health nurses. They also explained disorders like epilepsy taking away the mystery and the fear.“We furnish special education,” said Muis. “And now the community understands the disease exceed.” So much so that others have come out of the shadows for treatment. One 60-year-old woman had seizures for ten years and a six year old boy had symptoms for four years. Both have received treatment through International Medical Corps and are doing well.
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