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Posted On: August 19th 2026, 03:01 pm
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Hi, I'm Yana, founder of Mother Hope Indonesia.
At 24-25 June 2026, I had the opportunity to attend the Asia Pacific Regional Maternal Mental Health Workshop hosted by United for Global Mental Health.
One key lesson: across Asia Pacific, we face the same advocacy challenges. Stigma, compounded by gender injustice and extremely limited access to care.
Our survey of 3,585 women in MotherHope Indonesia online platform on 2021 showed a concerning fact: only 20% were able to access mental health services.
Why? Fear of being labeled "crazy" by health workers, fear of being reported to their partners or community, plus intimate partner violence, poverty, and lack of autonomy to seek help.
Meanwhile, our health workers have not been equipped with adequate training for compassionate screening and care.
Yet depression is the most common complication of pregnancy, and suicide is a leading cause of maternal death. As WHO stated, the absence of maternal mental health screening is a policy failure.
But this workshop also brought hope. High and low-income countries alike face the same triple burden: stigma, resource constraints, and intergenerational impact.
The strategies I am bringing home for Indonesia:
1. Advocate for integrated policy with the Ministry of Health
2. Train midwives and nurses in respectful detection and referral
3. Integrate mental health into primary MCH services
4. Ensure lived experience voices are involved in service planning
5. Address root social drivers: poverty and IPV
Sincere thanks to WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and to representatives from Africa, Indonesia, and all participating countries for sharing your knowledge, experiences, and policies.
Grateful to United for Global Mental Health for convening the Asia Pacific Regional Perinatal Mental Health Workshop, 24-25 June 2026. Honored to learn and collaborate with fellow advocates to ensure no mother is left behind. Looking forward to continuing this collaboration.
At 24-25 June 2026, I had the opportunity to attend the Asia Pacific Regional Maternal Mental Health Workshop hosted by United for Global Mental Health.
One key lesson: across Asia Pacific, we face the same advocacy challenges. Stigma, compounded by gender injustice and extremely limited access to care.
Our survey of 3,585 women in MotherHope Indonesia online platform on 2021 showed a concerning fact: only 20% were able to access mental health services.
Why? Fear of being labeled "crazy" by health workers, fear of being reported to their partners or community, plus intimate partner violence, poverty, and lack of autonomy to seek help.
Meanwhile, our health workers have not been equipped with adequate training for compassionate screening and care.
Yet depression is the most common complication of pregnancy, and suicide is a leading cause of maternal death. As WHO stated, the absence of maternal mental health screening is a policy failure.
But this workshop also brought hope. High and low-income countries alike face the same triple burden: stigma, resource constraints, and intergenerational impact.
The strategies I am bringing home for Indonesia:
1. Advocate for integrated policy with the Ministry of Health
2. Train midwives and nurses in respectful detection and referral
3. Integrate mental health into primary MCH services
4. Ensure lived experience voices are involved in service planning
5. Address root social drivers: poverty and IPV
Sincere thanks to WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and to representatives from Africa, Indonesia, and all participating countries for sharing your knowledge, experiences, and policies.
Grateful to United for Global Mental Health for convening the Asia Pacific Regional Perinatal Mental Health Workshop, 24-25 June 2026. Honored to learn and collaborate with fellow advocates to ensure no mother is left behind. Looking forward to continuing this collaboration.
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