Facing Stigma and Discrimination, Ardiansyah, a 44-year-old Indonesian Man with Schizophrenia, Finds Refuge in a Mosque

For many Indonesians with psychosocial disabilities, access to mental health care remains a challenge, particularly in more remote and rural areas. The Indonesian government dedicates just 1 percent of its total health budget to mental health, resulting in a shortage of licensed psychiatrists and psychologists across Indonesia and dire, overcrowded conditions in many of its psychiatric facilities.

With nowhere to go and no support available, Indonesians like Ardiansyah, a 44-year-old with schizophrenia, often find themselves unhoused and unemployed. With the help of a friend, Adriansyah eventually found refuge in a local mosque, where he sleeps most nights and gets many of his meals. He longs for a place of his own and more steady employment than the odd jobs he occasionally does. He hopes the government will provide more support to people with psychosocial disabilities, particularly in job training. “For my future, I hope that I will get a real job and no longer be an odd-jobs handyman,” he says, “which I will do my best.”

I Feel Like An Outsider was an official selection in the Mental Health Warrior Film Fest and was part of a collection of Disability Justice Project films that received the Mental Health Hero Award at This Is My Brave Australia (TIMBA)’s 7th International Mental Health Film Festival.

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