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“What Mental Health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation.” – Glenn Close. 

Never has this quote been so relevant, particularly within this generation. As a Malaysian, I grew up exposed to the topic of mental health. However, it has always had a stigma around it. This raises the question that should be universally asked and challenged: Why is it a taboo? Does it need to be a taboo? 

It’s time to normalise conversations about mental health.

As 2019 comes to a close, we can see that media representation and awareness of mental health has been on the rise this decade. Numerous films such as Joker, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest and A Beautiful Mind, as well as documentaries, TV shows, and books that depict mental health conditions have greatly alleviated the tension surrounding the topic as it promotes discussions amongst audiences and readers. 

But first, what exactly is mental health? According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Mental Health is “… a state of well-being in which the individual realizes his or her own abilities can cope with the normal stresses of life, and is able to make a contribution to his or her community.” In addition, the WHO also emphasizes that Mental Health “is not just the absence of mental disorder”. 

As Mental Health disorders directly affect your behaviour, thoughts, and mood, it is also vital to be aware that disorders range from psychotic disorders (e.g schizophrenia), eating disorders (e.g bulimia nervosa and anorexia nervosa), anxiety disorders (e.g obsessive-compulsive disorder), mood disorders (e.g bipolar disorder and depression), and others.

Mental Health in Malaysia

The findings from the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2017 highlights that 1 in 5 adolescents are found to be depressed, while 2 in 5 are found to be anxious and 1 in 10 are found to be stressed. Furthermore, in all Malaysian states, Anxiety has the highest prevalence with 39.7 percent in comparison to Depression and Stress with a prevalence rate of 18.3 percent and 9.6 percent respectively.

Just from these findings alone, the Ministry of Health, along with the society, should be urged to remove the stigma surrounding mental health. Regrettably, Malaysia has inadequate resource allocations for mental health. Based on the findings of a Harvard report in 2015, Malaysia spends only 1.3 percent of its health budget allocation on Mental Health in comparison to an international average of 2.8 percent. 

This is concerning as mental health does not only affect adolescents (which as of 2018, there are 5.5 million) but also our parents, our teachers, and everyone in the country. If swift action isn’t put in place, these issues will continue to grow and have a negative impact on our labour force. Poor mental health at the workplace will have adverse effects on the productivity of workers, output, and efficiency. 

With this in mind, it is essential that Malaysia takes the initiative to develop preventive strategies and effective mental health programmes to educate and manage wellbeing. It’s time to give mental health the attention and support it deserves, particularly in terms of resource allocation. Thankfully, health services budget under Budget 2019 has increased to RM29 billion from last year’s RM27 billion allocations. 

With increased funding, the Ministry of Health are better equipped to develop strategies and programmes as mentioned earlier. Anti-stigma campaigns should also be implemented in addition to an improvement in training programmes, and continued collaboration with the Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MPA). Moreover, the Ministry of Health should adopt the “Comprehensive Mental Health Action Plan for 2013-2020” approved by the WHO Member States, as these are specific proposed actions to improve Mental Health, particularly on strengthening effective governance for Mental Health.

What can individuals do to destigmatise mental health? 

The stigmatisation and discrimination against mental health issues is the consequence of a lack of education and awareness leading to negative connotations surrounding efforts to acknowledge the existence of mental health. This is where we can take the responsibility to undo the ingrained misconceptions. We have to take initiatives to set the record straight and make use of our potential catalyst of spreading trends and invoking change within the public. 

How can we do this? Simple. One way we could encourage change is by using our best friend, social media. 

The digitalisation of information alongside the inception of the internet has reframed societal norms. Thus, we should utilise it by sharing useful information from relevant sources, for example.

In addition, UKEC’s Care for All (CFA) is a regional initiative by the UKECares Office to raise awareness on Mental Health as the office acknowledges that it is a major concern amongst students studying abroad. It also aims to address and emphasize the imperativeness of mental health awareness whilst encouraging students to share and educate themselves on this topic, and at the same time learning how to overcome them. A healthcare professional is invited to provide insight regarding mental health while sharing sessions are included to promote peer-to-peer support. 

I’m particularly grateful and blessed to be working alongside like-minded caring individuals such as Visa, Arissa and Sabrina, under the guidance of our Vice-Chairperson Amanie on advocating for the importance of Mental Health. I encourage everyone to participate in CFA events as not only is it eye-opening from a technical perspective, but you’ll also realise that you’re not alone in facing your problems as you might be surprised that there are people who share the same issues as you.

Furthermore, in this day and age, mental health tends to be overlooked. We’re all now either too focused on work that we tend to either disregard our own mental health, or forget to even take the time to ask our friends “Hey, how are you really doing?”. This just demonstrates how we have to be more compassionate and empathetic to one another. Instead of judging people with mental health disorders, we should lend a hand and show them our love and support. 

To conclude, mental health issues are very broad. It is simplistic to assume that only one factor contributes to mental health, as it is determined through various factors such as biological, environmental, and socioeconomic factors. I urge everyone to take a stand against the stigma surrounding mental health and promote conversations on the topic.

Hopefully, this would encourage certain people, especially those who have been reluctant and delayed from seeking help, to realise that help is out there. The sooner help is sought after, the faster the step to recovery will be. You may never know that it could be your loved ones or those who you assume won’t be suffering from certain issues to experience mental health disorders. 

Show support, show love, show kindness, as kindness is free. Be there for your friends, accept help, and most importantly, know that if you are struggling right now, things will get better. Remember, there’s no health without mental health.