Facing Mental Health Issues easily make people feel alone and unmotivated. Photo: Appreciation At Work
Mental health issues are growing rapidly within Malaysians such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, and more.
According to Relate Mental Health Malaysia, 89.4% of calls recorded to helplines were from individuals seeking emotional and psychological support within January to mid-June 2021.
Till June of 2021, Malaysian police had recorded 468 suicide cases, up from 631 incidents in 2020 and 609 in 2019. Though suicide instances were already on the rise prior to the epidemic, the number of suicidal will continue to increase if the people's misery is not addressed.
Due to the floods in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur in 2021, mental health expert Datuk Dr. Andrew Mohanraj indicated that anxiety and PTSD cases have skyrocketed. The number of calls has been around 500 every month, and the number is expected to rise as a result of the flood.
Erin,23, had PTSD 4 years ago. She found out that she was very depressed and anxious for more than 2 months when she was 19.
“ I thought I had depression for the very first time, and I couldn't accept that as I was so young, then I had depression,” Erin said.
Although PTSD is a mental health issue, it also affects people's physical health. Erin said that she gets sick easily and has no motivation to do anything for a living even though she can't speak a complete sentence.
Suicide thought also appeared in her mind and she tried to run away from everything like studies, family and friends.
“I was emotionless most of the time”
“My parents couldn’t understand why I locked myself in the room every day,” said Erin.
The word weird and lazy is the word she often hears during the sickness period where she feels judgment when others know she has a mental disorder.
“People always think that we are psychopaths. However, we are just mentally sick.”
“Luckily my friends noticed my abnormality, and they suggested me to seek help such as seeing a doctor or counseling. So, I went for counselling in a counselling center and was carried out for almost 1 year and my life went back to normal after the therapy,” said Erin.
During the counselling, she said that the actual reason for the disorder is complicated, but the event that triggered her PTSD is school bullying.
“For those facing similar problems, I suggest you seek professional assistance, such as going for counseling or getting therapy from a psychologist. Family or friends can play a role as a listener to them, accompanying them when they need help,” said Erin.
School bullying cases nowadays not only involved student, there are almost 80% of sexual harassments and bullying cases involved the educators and school authorities, says the All Women's Action Society (AWAM).
If you or you found out your friend seems facing any type of mental health issues, you should find someone you trust to talk to or can try to make an appointment with Relate Mental Health Malaysia.
“There is no health without mental health”
Relate Mental Health Malaysia is an organization to provide support for every Malaysian to have equal opportunity to enjoy the fundamental human right to the highest attainable standard of mental health.
The full interview with Erin:
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