Resolving mental illness issues in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR: By 2020, mental illness is expected to be the second biggest

health problem affecting Malaysians after heart disease.

According to the latest National Health and Morbidity Survey, every three in 10
adults aged 16 years and above in Malaysia suffer from some form of mental health
issues.

Unfortunately, there is still a lack of understanding on the disease especially in terms

of common mental disorders, the causes and possible consequences as well as
recognising the early signs of major mental problems.

There is also a strong social stigma associated with mental illness, from a cultural
stand-point shaped by superstitious belief and misconception.

This negative perception often leads patients with mental illness to suffer in silence,
often ostracised by society with little hope of acceptance let alone recovery.

WHAT IS MENTAL ILLNESS?

The laymen equate mental illness with ‘madness’, and often overlook the symptoms
of the disease. Mental illness is actually a medical condition.

It is a common disease that affects a person’s thinking, emotion, behaviour and also
causes functional impairment.

A Psychiatrist and Senior Lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia Dr Michael Ang Jin Kiat
said the disease could take many forms and the most severe and common mental
illness include schizophrenia, major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder.

“Schizophrenia is a mental illness that triggers hallucinations and delusions. While

hallucinations refer to a sensory perception in the absence of a stimuli, delusion is a
false and fixed belief.

“The most common form of hallucinations is the auditory hallucination which also
known as ‘paracusia’, the perceptions of hearing sounds without identifiable external
stimuli,” he said during a workshop on First Aid for Mental Health Emergencies
initiated by Pfizer Malaysia here, recently.

In his presentation on the topic of Understanding Mental Illness, Dr Michael also said
that globally, about
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patients with schizophrenia attempted suicide with
10{b25d52d27e36f61acdb6c40849bc67c037757a3ee03cdaec9d99df8f149b3319} of
them dying from suicide.

Explaining on major depressive disorder or depression, he said the disease is closely

related with a feeling of sadness, worthlessness or guilty which can affect someone
to lose interest in their routine activities.

“Depression can lead someone to go through changes in their appetites and

sleeping habits, feeling fatigue, slow in thinking or movement, as well as reduction in
concentration.

“It can happen to anyone and it is not a sign of weakness, but the failure to treat the
disease may lead to thoughts of dying and also suicide attempts,” he elaborated.

Touching on bipolar disorder, which is also known as manic-depressive illness, he

said the disease might cause patients to have intense emotional state resulting in
unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels and the ability to carry out every day
tasks.

HOW SERIOUS?

Mental illness, like in many parts of the world, is an emerging

issue in the country and should be taken seriously, said Consultant Psychiatrist
at University Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC)  Associate Professor Dr Ng Chong
Guan. However, due to insufficient number of psychiatrists there is not much avenue
for those with mental issues. The number of psychiatrists in Malaysia until March
2017 was only 381, namely from the Ministry of Health (207), Public Universities (84),
Private Universities (22), Armed Forces (5) and Private Sector (63).

He said, the normal psychiatrist to population ratio is one per 10,000 but in Malaysia
the ratio is 1 to 100,000 and what is more worrying is that the disease is also
affecting more youngsters.

“This problem now has become more complex because it might relate to drugs,
bullying and some other issues (involving youngsters) compared previously when
anxiety and stress was the main cause,” he said pointing to the rise in the number of
youngsters with the problem.
Though the problem could be treated at least within six months by undergoing
proper treatment, there is also a risk of the condition worsening or reaching serious
level when not addressed accordingly.

Therefore, Ng underscored the significance of the efforts to educate the society on

early recognition of mental illness as well as enabling them to take care for their own
mental health.

“Public roles in helping to prevent this problem is essential. We can detect people
around us acting differently or strangely, and try to assist and support them in
seeking treatment.

“Most people with mental disorders realise they have some sort of abnormality inside
them, but they just take pain killers rather than going for proper assessment and
seek treatment from psychiatrist,” he elaborated.

Ng said psychiatric care services were available in government and private hospitals,
as well as private and non-government organisations such as the Malaysian Mental
Health Association (MMHA). The private hospitals where psychiatric care services are
available include Hospital Bahagia, Hospital Permai, Hospital Mesra, and Hospital
Sentosa.

AID FOR MENTAL ILLNESS

Meanwhile, MMHA is promoting the “first aid” for mental health which refers to a
person who will become the first responder.

The association Secretary General Dr Ang Kim Teng explained that the “first aid”
would play an important role in identifying signs of behavioural distress or crisis and
provide assistance for mental health problem.

The first aid knowledge will provide persons with the ability to help someone with
mental health problem or in a mental health crisis until appropriate professional help
is received or the crisis is resolved.

The initiative is a patented programme under MHFA Australia, which has since been
exported under licence to over 20 countries throughout the world.

“They must be able to handle self-harm and suicidal ideas besides being able to
differentiate between a medical emergency and psychological distress,” she said.

Ang also added that anyone close could be the first aid provider to their family
members, friends, colleagues, subordinates or students.
“Those with knowledge in first aid and on the recent events or the stresses the
person has been facing are the best persons to help and not strangers,” she said
adding that one of the important skills is to listen with empathy.

Among services provided by MMHA includes psychosocial rehab programme,

counselling service, psychotherapy service, psychiatric consultation, peer support and
caregiver support. — Bernama