MENTAL wellbeing and mental health are gaining attention these days, more so after Covid-19 tore families, friends, and academic and business institutions apart.
People with mental health issues were hard hit when mental health staff and services were redeployed to assist in Covid-19 relief, thus leaving those severely in need in a limbo.
In the first year of the pandemic in 2020, anxiety and depression cases went up by 25 per cent, with many reporting psychological distress and symptoms of depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress.
There were also worrying signs of widespread suicidal thoughts and behaviours, even among healthcare workers.
Young people were hit the hardest, especially when extended school and university closures left them vulnerable to social isolation and disconnectedness in their studies.
People with physical health conditions, such as asthma, cancer and heart disease, were also in the group more likely to develop symptoms of mental disorders.
The pandemic's impact on mental health worldwide is still being felt today.
It's heartening that the Madani government has recognised this problem. It is allocating RM12 million to train 10,000 workers under the new Occupational Mental Health First Aid programme to tackle mental health issues at the workplace.
These first-aiders will provide early intervention for colleagues facing mental health issues. Having first-aiders raise awareness of mental health also reduces the stigma attached to these disorders.
The government's support for improving workplace mental health is not just its moral responsibility but also makes good business sense because a mentally healthy workforce is a productive one.
Good mental health is fundamental to society's wellbeing as it influences how we think, act and interact in our lives; how we face challenges; forge relationships; and make positive decisions for ourselves.
But is having 10,000 first-aiders enough?
It's a positive move but has room for improvement if the authorities are keen to take the matter deeper, says Ipoh-born Sandra Jayacodi.
Sandra has been through thick and thin in mental health challenges, first as a patient, which had a devastating effect on her relationships and career, and subsequently evolving to employing her experiences in mental health to help others.
Today, she is a mental health and wellbeing trainer, certified mental health first-aider, healthcare quality improvement fellow, and a peer mental health researcher in the United Kingdom.
Sandra, who had worked with multinationals in the Bayan Lepas Free Trade Zone in Penang in the 1980s before she went to read and practise law in the UK, is keen to share her expertise.
As a registered HRD Corp trainer in Malaysia, Sandra reckons that the government should not shoulder this mental health problem alone.
She believes that businesses and academia can take measures to alleviate the burden.
Sandra reveals that it was only in the UK that her bipolar disorder was diagnosed and treated. She is motivated by her battle with mental illness and having observed the struggles of others.
She decided to use her experience to commit herself to boosting mental health services, mental health and wellbeing training and conduct mental health research in the last 10 years.
Having co-authored publications in healthcare research, she wants to impart findings in terms of the deficiencies in helping employees to understand what mental health is and the stigma surrounding it; to recognise signs and symptoms of poor mental health; risk factors; and to seek help at the earliest.
Her training modules are aimed at better understanding the treatments and medication, improving physical health and dental care, and promoting better quality of life for those with mental illness.
They are to equip employers with the tools to improve workplace mental health and wellbeing policies, training and support systems that are already in place in Western countries.
And they're now on our doorstep.
The writer is a former Bernama chief executive officer and editor-in-chief