KUALA LUMPUR: The Health Ministry must be provided with all the support and resources to effectively address mental health issues that are becoming more common across the globe.
Patron of Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MBA) Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the resources could be in the form of a sufficient number of psychiatrists and trained counsellors.
Lee expressed concern over the rise of mental health issues that if left unchecked, would result in increased untoward incidents and crimes.
“I am concerned with the spate of crimes recently and allegedly linked to mental health problems. More psychiatrists and trained counsellors can help the ministry provide better services to people with mental decline,” he told the New Straits Times.
Lee, who is also the Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation senior vice-chairman, was referring to the murder of seven-year-old Mohamad Aimin Nurul Amin at a tahfiz centre in Lanchang last week.
The victim was pronounced dead at the Lanchang health clinic at 1.30pm after being taken there by a tahfiz warden, who found the child listless. Two 13-year-old boys were charged at the magistrate’s court in Temerloh on Friday with murdering the victim.
In a separate case which also took place in Pahang, a man, believed to be mentally ill, had murdered his 62-year-old mother, at Kampung Taman Padang on Nov 12.
According to police, Sefiah Hamid died after he was stabbed to death in the murder, which took place between 8.30am and 10.30am. The suspect also ran amok and stabbed his younger sister and her boyfriend with a kitchen knife.
Such cases, Lee said, and the increasing number of people suffering from mental illness around the world warranted greater efforts to tackle the problem.
“According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), one out of five people would develop common mental disorder such as depression and anxiety every year.
“The organisation also noted that two out of 100 people in the community would develop schizophrenia or bipolar disorder in their lifetime. At the same time, two to three per cent of families have a member affected by intellectual disability,” said Lee.
He added it was also imperative for families who have members suffering from symptoms related to mental illness to come forward and seek treatment.
Erasing stigma on mental health illness, he said, was equally important for the country to help people suffering from the problem.
“We must mobilise the entire community in overcoming stigma on mental illness. Let's work together and help people with mental health issues, who should not be discriminated against.”