An expert panel urges primary clinics to screen blood pressure and stress side‑by‑side to cut deaths from chronic disease.

Indonesia should weave mental‑health care into every heart‑health visit at community clinics, according to a new policy outlook from a national, multidisciplinary group of cardiology, psychiatry, primary‑care and public‑health leaders. The paper argues that separating “physical” and “mental” health leaves major gaps in prevention and treatment—and calls for an integrated model in primary care.  

Why it matters

Non‑communicable diseases (NCDs) already account for 62% of all deaths in Southeast Asia, and in 2016 Indonesia recorded 1,365,000 premature deaths—73% due to NCDs. Yet as many as 30% of Indonesians with moderate‑to‑high cardiovascular risk have not received appropriate treatment or counseling, the authors note.    

The missed link: stress and the heart

The review highlights the tight two‑way link between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mental health. Psychological stress, depression and major life events raise the risk of heart attack and stroke; lifestyle risks like poor diet, inactivity and smoking cluster with psychological distress even in late adolescence. Today, most primary‑care visits check blood pressure or glucose but overlook stress, mood and cognition—missing a chance to prevent disease earlier.  

What the panel recommends

To move from pilots to policy, the authors outline an eight‑point plan tailored to Indonesia but relevant across the region: early service‑level screening (blood pressure and mental‑health checks in the same visit); prevention and health promotion; workforce training so frontline staff can spot and manage both conditions; community task‑shifting using health volunteers; policy advocacy; stronger data; implementation research; and social mobilization to keep programs culturally grounded and sustainable.  

Policy momentum to build on

Indonesia has already launched several levers the panel says could be coupled with mental‑health screening: higher tobacco taxes and smoke‑free zones; a national healthy‑living campaign (“CERDIK”—check‑ups, stop smoking, be active, eat well, rest, manage stress); and the new “birthday check‑up” program offering free annual screening (BMI, blood pressure, sugar and cholesterol) at local health centres. Smoking still exacts a heavy toll—Indonesian smokers spend about 11% of their income on tobacco, and smoking‑related treatment costs total roughly US$2.18 billion—underscoring the need to address mood, stress and addiction alongside heart risk.  

Bottom line

The panel’s message is simple: the same visit that checks your heart should also check how you’re coping. Bringing cardiovascular and mental‑health care under one roof—especially in primary care—could prevent more strokes, heart attacks and depression than tackling each in isolation. The authors call for a national task force and cost‑effectiveness work to fast‑track integrated models into routine care.  

Source: Santoso, A., Citraningtyas, T., Viora, E., Gotera, W., Fujiati, I. I., Lukito, W., Vidiawati, D., Claramita, M., Diatri, H., Prawira, B., Grace, A., Arsita, E., & Billy, A. (2025). Towards integrated cardiovascular and mental health management in primary health care in Indonesia: a policy outlook. The Lancet regional health. Southeast Asia, 37, 100605. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.lansea.2025.100605

Editor’s note: This article is for information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.