“More awareness necessary to meet the recent surge in mental health issues”

With the rise of new challenges caused by the recent COVID-19 pandemic on a global

scale, mental health issues are on the increase as well. According to the National

Health and Morbidity Survey, every three in 10 adults aged 16 years and above in

Malaysia already suffer from some form of mental health issues, and this was before

COVID-19 .

a local non-profit which has been offering free counseling services to the public

especially for those from poorer backgrounds such as the B40 community has been

witnessing a sudden surge of people needing more counseling help in areas concerning

depression, anxiety, suicidal tendencies and domestic violence. Though the need for

counseling seems to be growing, the number of walk-in clients seeking help is not

increasing proportionately.

This echoes what is being seen globally, where the World Health Organisation last

month published  that the “COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental

health services in 93%” of 130 countries worldwide while the demand for mental health

is increasing”. This could be due to various underlying reasons, EWRF feels that one of

the main reasons has to do with the negative view low-income earning individuals have

on counseling and mental-health related issues. To these individuals, mental health

issues are not recognised as a physical ailment that requires serious attention or

treatment and therefore resist seeking the help necessary. A recent article by Ashok

Malla which discusses the statement “mental illness is like any other medical illness”

explains why mental health related issues should be seen as any other biological

related medical issues and that it should also be given equal importance. In view of this,
we has been working hard to promote the much needed awareness on the importance

of seeking help when it comes to mental health related issues especially for the low-

income earning groups who are better known as the B40 income group locally. we feels

that with more awareness and knowledge of mental-health related issues, the B40

group can come forward to seek and receive the much needed assistance through

counseling so they can equip themselves with the various coping skills required for

managing the new challenges we are all facing today. we continuously creates

awareness on its social media platforms and will be launching a new webinar series on

mental health very soon.

"Get Help, and Be Helped" Do you at times feel lonely, hurt, struggling and unable to

express your inner feelings? You are thinking that there is no way out, and no one can

help you? Do you feel like you are disappearing or falling? Don't get stressed out, you

can now call us to share your problems.

We Are Here to Listen to You!