PETALING JAYA: Mental health features have been added to the MySejahtera app in view of the rising mental health challenges in the country.
The already available mental health helpline known as Talian Heal, as well as psychosocial support information, mental health information and self-assessment are among the services available under MySejahtera’s Minda Sihat feature.
The Talian Heal 15555 helpline is operated by Health Ministry’s counselling officers daily from 8am until midnight, including public holidays.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the Covid-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on mental health, which led to unprecedented challenges to the healthcare system.
“Along with the Covid-19 pandemic, I believe that one of the biggest challenges faced by the health sector is the rising trend of mental health issues,” she told The Star.
To improve access to mental health services, she said the ministry had taken the initiative to develop a mental health module in MySejahtera that would better provide self-help behaviour through mental health screening and education.
Between Oct 21, 2022 and April 1, a total of 13,717 calls were made to Talian Heal, with an average of 84 calls a day. Of this, 9,185 (67%) were given emotional support while 4,532 (33%) were provided early crisis intervention by psychology officers.
A total of 126 cases of suicidal behaviour including suicidal ideation and suicide attempts were also received.
Intervention was offered in 54 instances of suicidal ideation.
Also, 72 cases of attempted suicide were referred to the Malaysian Emergency Response Services 999.
Along with help from the police and Emergency Department, these cases were successfully brought to hospital for treatment.
Citing World Health Organisation (WHO) statistics, Dr Zaliha said the number of people experiencing mental health disorder in the first year of Covid-19 (in 2020) surged to about a billion with anxiety and depression rates rising by more than 25%.
The ministry’s 2019 National Health Morbidity Survey revealed that 500,000 (2.3%) people aged 18 years and above suffered from depression, while police statistics showed a concerning pattern of suicidal behaviour, with cases increasing to 1,142 in 2021 from 631 in 2020, before going down to 981 last year.
A 2022 study by the Institute for Health Behavioural Research conducted on 1,578 children and adolescents aged 10 to 17 living in 37 People’s Housing Project (PPR) sites around Kuala Lumpur and Selangor showed that 12.3% of the respondents experienced mental health problems, such as depression and anxiety.
Recognising the need for immediate action, Dr Zaliha said the National Strategic Plan for Mental Health (2020-2025) was implemented.
Other initiatives include the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health and the National Mental Health and Psychosocial Support Programme.
Dr Zaliha admitted there was a shortage of psychiatrists in the country.
“I understand that looking at the ratio of existing psychiatrists in Malaysia, it may not be feasible to achieve the ideal psychiatrist-patient ratio in terms of providing psychiatric services.
“Nevertheless, mental health services are also provided by family medicine specialists at the primary healthcare level,” she said, adding that 200 counsellors had been placed at facilities such as health clinics nationwide.
In addition, mental health training is being continuously provided at the state and district levels to improve the skills of healthcare providers, including medical officers and paramedics.
