CURRENT ISSUES

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What is self-injury?

What is self-injury? Self-injury is the intentional act of harming yourself without the intention of suicide, such as scratching, cutting or burning. We need to urgently address self-injury in our society as self-injury is increasingly common especially among youths and it can increase the risk of death by suicide up to 7 times. Who is […]

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Economic cost of youth suicide

Youth suicide costs a staggering RM350 mil each year, according to Relate Malaysia’s new study. In the paper, Economic Cost of Youth Suicide Malaysia, Relate Malaysia found that, for every youth suicide in 2019, the Malaysian economy lost RM676,165. Dr Chua Sook Ning – clinical psychologist and founder of Relate Malaysia – said the shocking […]

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World Mental Health Day 2020

by Dr. Chua Sook Ning, PhD We celebrate World Mental Health Day on October 10th 2020. This international event offers an important contribution to raising mental health awareness and advocating against the social stigma of mental health. The 2020 World Mental Health campaign encourages us to invest: it calls on society to invest in providing […]

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Relate for MOH frontliners

We know how important it is to maintain staff mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic but many medical staff do not have the time or resources for self-care. We are a team of clinical psychologists fundraising to subsidise 95% of our usual rates so that MOH frontliners pay only RM10 for a 50-minute session until […]

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The business costs of mental health

Mental health issues are significant health issues that can negatively affect a person’s relationships, productivity, and physical health. Common signs of poor mental health are feeling down, loss of pleasure or interest, sleeping difficulties, appetite changes, constant worry or feeling numb and empty inside. Consequently, workers with mental health issues are more likely to take […]

Creating mentally health workplaces

In March 2019, Cuepacs (Congress of Union of Employees in the Public and Civil Services Malaysians) released a statement saying that more than 400, 000 civil servants (or 20-30%) experience emotional stress, with a number of them needing psychiatric treatment. This was quickly followed by a press conference by the Public Service Department disputing the […]

Election promises

Elections are around the corner, and all cards are on the table. Politicians on both sides are slinging mud, trying to undercut the other. Promises are made to increase minimum wage, to create new jobs, to give cash handouts, to ease loans and reintroduce fuel subsidies among other things. Just several years ago, the government […]

Review of The Human Exhibit: Mental Health

Relate Mental Health Malaysia was part of a ground-breaking theater production on Mental Health by I’M Entertainment. ‘The Human Exhibit’ is one journey that the audience will take to watch different representations of certain mental illnesses. Instead of looking at paintings/sculptures, there will be a human representation of the mental illness in the form of dance, […]

Going mental?

It’s bittersweet to see more and more mainstream news outlets cover mental health issues (a step in the right direction) but while using language that perpetuates stereotypes and stigma. A recent NST headlines screamed : “[Exclusive] Overworked souls risk going mental and dying early”. The Oxford Dictionary defines “Going mental” as informal phrase that means […]

What is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is a particular state of awareness cultivated through intentional practice. WHAT IS PARTICULAR ABOUT THIS STATE OF AWARENESS? 1. It is focused on the present moment. Our awareness is usually caught up in thoughts about the past or the future. We therefore cruise through life on autopilot unaware of what’s actually happening now in […]

How to heal from emotional injuries.

An emotional injury damages the attachment to the injurer, and damages the injured’s sense of self. The emotional injury can usually be named. It feels like a violation or betrayal of trust and happens within an ongoing relationship. Examples of emotional injuries are: abandonment, betrayal, neglect, humiliation, shaming and violation. How can you resolve emotional […]

The reasonable response to mental illness and violent crimes

By Dr. Chua Sook Ning Mental illness is often brought up as a possible cause when an incomprehensible violent crime is committed. The authorities usually just say “mental illness”  without further explanation or specification. Here are just some recent cases in Malaysia where the authorities have implicated mental illness: Assault and arson (http://malaysiandigest.com/news/654630-man-suspected-of-running-amok-killing-three-and-burning-down-home-remanded.html) Gun violence […]

Mental health in prison

By Dr. Chua Sook Ning In the past week, there has been a great deal of attention on the incarceration of certain prominent activists, leading many Malaysians to protest against SOSMA and its application. Since 2000, the prison population in Malaysia has doubled and many of these offenders do not have anyone to speak up on their […]

Mental health status in Malaysia

By Dr. Chua Sook Ning Did you know that 1 in 3 Malaysians are suffering from mental health issues? RELATE is going to take you through the report released by the Institute for Public Health, Ministry of Health, Malaysia. The measure: General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) It has been used by the National Health and Morbidity Survey since 1996. […]

Is mental illness fashionable?

Mental illness is not “madness“. By Dr. Chua Sook Ning It is not just being misunderstood. Mental illness causes distress and impairs someone’s functioning in important areas of his/her life. Perhaps there are a blessed few who are able to use their illnesses to achieve great heights but most people suffering from a mental illness are […]

National Mental Health Strategic Action Plan announced

With the sharp increase of mental health problems, the ministry of Health is planning to  come up with a National Mental Health Strategic Action Plan. It is intended to be a comprehensive plan that puts programs and strategies to “tackle the problem”. It is unclear what the government conceptualises as the problem. The government does intend to increase awareness […]

Mental illness prevalence increase

The numbers are out – 30% of Malaysians are suffering from a mental health problem. In 2011, the Ministry of Health reported that every 1 in 10 Malaysians suffer from a mental health problem and today, the research shows that it is 1 in every 3 Malaysians. Read more at http://www.nst.com.my/news/2016/09/176013/one-three-msian-adults-struggling-mental-health-issues

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