THE EFFECTIVENESS OF COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM BY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS ON THE RECOVERY OF PATIENTS WITH PSYCHOSIS IN ACEH

Objective: This study aimed to identify the effectiveness of Community-Based Mental Health Program on the recovery of individuals with schizophrenia and psychosis by comparing patients who had hospital-based treatment (HBT) at the hospital and those who had treatment in the community-based mental health program (CBMHP) at community health centers. Methods: The study design was a retrospective cohort with 92 subjects participating in the CBMHP and 114 subjects receiving the HBT at the Mental Hospital of Aceh Province. In this study, the evaluated outcomes on subject's recovery included self-care and functional status as well as self-care and functional composites in addition to the cost which had been spent by the government for 7 years. The evaluators were nurses who worked at the Mental Hospital and community health care centers. Results: The study revealed that there was no difference on outcomes between patients receiving CBMHP and those with HBT. The expense spent on CBMHP was lower than the cost of treatment provided by the Mental Hospital. Conclusion: CBMHP for patients with schizophrenia and other psychosis was as good as the HBT at relatively lower cost. We suggest that the CBMHP should be developed further since it is very relevant to geographic conditions in Indonesia, which still has many problems in accessing mental health services.