Kontestasi diskursif di balik konsep dan praktik kesehatan mental: Kekuasaan, kolonialisme, dan kapitalisme

This chapter problematises the depoliticised field of mental health by unearthing three dominant discourses giving rise to contemporary conceptualisations and practices of mental health. The first is the biomedical discourse which has constituted an impression of neutrality, objectivity, and universality of mental health diagnoses and interventions. This discourse positions mental health practitioners and patients in a considerably unequal power relation, which may result in a feeling of powerlessness or dehumanisation. The second is a discourse of Western colonialism, in which I argue that the modus operandi of the current Western-originated global mental health movements resemble the practices of colonialisation of the Global South. The third is a discourse of neoliberal capitalism which has driven the rise of the billion-dollars global mental health industry, including psychotropic drugs and mental health-related labour market. At the end of the chapter I discuss some possible alternatives to the currently dominant views on and practices of mental health, and I also provide some practical recommendations for policymakers