It was 8 am and I was exiting from my rumah kos to take my Ojek (motorcycle taxi) to school. There was a man (in his late 50s) loitering outside my rumah kos, he looks lost. Just as I was boarding my Ojek, he asked me if I had seen his son from Jakarta inside my house. I replied no, and that I am sorry before boarding my Ojek. My usually talkative Ojek Pak Yanto was unusually quiet throughout this episode. As my Ojek moved, I close the main gate behind the man.
(Why did I do that? - was it out of fear?)
As we moved on, Pak Yanto said: "Dia orang gila!"
I asked, "Bagaimana Pak tahu?"
Pak Yanto: "Kelihatanya dia hilang. Pakaian kotor sekali ya."
Note to self
#Terms Of Address for PMI: Orang Gila
#Judging PMIs based on appearance - an appearance conscious Javanese
I asked "Ada banyak di Jogja?"
Pak Yanto: "Banyak! Terutama di Grhasia. Mau pergi ke sana? Kira-kira 15 menit."
I replied, "ya! Mungkin suatu hari ya."
Pak Yanto went on to share with me how they are followed by spirits (diikuti makhluk halus) and are possessed. Some are dangerous and have to be "tangkap." "Mungkin dia yang lalu, jahat."
I asked, can they recover (bisa sembuh?), according to him?
He said maybe.
I asked have he heard of terms like psychosis, schizophrenia and "gangguan jiwa". He said no.
Key Reflections
This encounter is revealing of perceptions of laymen in the community towards persons with mental illness(es). The labels and terms heaped upon them "orang gila" appears to be sweeping but telling of attitudes. The perception that " diikuti makhluk halus" suggests that mental illness(es) are still very much linked towards spiritual notions of possession and karma (Mungkin dia yang lalu, jahat). His silence at the start when the (lost) man was around, suggests a sense of avoidance and discomfort, yet his silence indicated that he wanted to maintain "rukun" (harmony) and not even engage, much less confront the man.
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