- YOGYAKARTA -- Imagine One
Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest with a supernatural twist.
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- Or just visit the psychiatric ward of Dr. Sardjito General
Hospital in Yogyakarta, where you will meet the likes of "Hardi",
29, and "Heri", 26.
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- Inside a tiny isolation cell and wearing a straitjacket,
Hardi laughs frequently and repeats the same two sentences over and over.
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- "I have the power to become invisible. I learned
it from a master in Banten," he said in the presence of The Jakarta
Post recently, before drifting into incoherence.
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- Heri, who was a student at a private university in the
city, sits in the corner of a cell talking to himself, using words only
he can understand.
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- According to their families, Hardi and Heri were normal
young men before they zealously began watching TV reality shows dealing
with supernatural topics.
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- Hardi said he watched the shows "to compare my powers"
with those of the people on the shows.
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- A doctor in the psychiatric ward has noted that as more
and more of these supernatural shows have appeared on TV over the past
two years, more cases of mental illness have been seen at the hospital.
The doctor does not think this is a coincidence.
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- The majority of the patients in the psychiatric ward
come from traditional groups with a deep belief in all things related to
mysticism. However, some of the patients are also college students.
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- The head of the hospital's psychiatric ward, Soewadi,
said traditional groups had limited knowledge and an immature understanding
of the world, making them more easily influenced by the things they saw
on TV.
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- "The mystery shows on TV are like stressors that
can change the neurotransmitters inside the brain. People who are mature
enough see the shows only as entertainment. But for people who are immature,
the changes caused by these stressors can result in mental disturbance,"
he said.
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- The first indication of a mental disturbance is an excessive
belief in mysticism, accompanied by constant mood swings. Patients go from
sad to giddy, or from aggressive to placid in the blink of an eye.
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- They also speak incoherently and repeat the same words.
When brought to the hospital, the patients frequently have with them "charms"
such as rings or bracelets, he said.
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- Soewadi said he drew a connection between supernatural
shows and mental disturbances after observing patients for two years at
the hospital and at his private practice.
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- "The patients' families confirm this conclusion.
Most of the patients cannot communicate when they are brought here, but
the way the families describe the patients' behavior, it is similar to
schizophrenia or autism, and it occurs after watching these shows,"
he said.
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- Speaking with the families of some of the patients, among
the most frequently watched shows by the patients are LaTivi's Pemburu
Hantu (Ghostbusters) and Trans TV's Dunia Lain (Other World) and Uji Nyali
(Dare Test).
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- Soewadi said further evidence of the connection between
supernatural reality shows and mental disturbances was the increased number
of cases of mental illness between January and October last year, the same
time there was an explosion of these shows appearing on TV daily.
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- "On average, there were 12 inpatients and 17 outpatients
in the hospital every month (between January and October). My private practice
had about two patients a month. All of them were having delusions and showing
symptoms of schizophrenia because of the TV shows," he said.
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- In November and December, the number of patients fell
by 50 percent because it was the fasting month and the shows were aired
less frequently.
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- "As the fasting month ended, the number of patients
went up again," Soewadi said.
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- The doctor claimed that using a holistic approach, he
could cure the patients in anywhere from four days to two weeks.
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- Patients receive psychotherapy, art therapy and medication,
as well as being involved in social, work and spiritual activities. They
also are given electroshock therapy every two days.
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