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 […]
What We Know So Far: A Breakdown of Budget 2021’s Allocation for Mental Health
On 6 November 2020, the 2021 Malaysian Budget was tabled by Finance Minister YB Dato’ Sri Tengku Zafrul bin Tengku Abdul Aziz. Regarding the allocation for mental health, these are the two separate figures we should be taking note of: RM 24 million for the Mental Health Program, Prevention of Physical Abuse and Substance Abuse […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Why we should have mental health insurance coverage and more
As the demand for insurance companies to cover mental health conditions, insurance companies are explaining why they cannot do so. Here is why we need to continue pushing for mental health coverage. Dr. Chua Sook Ning Summary: It cost more when people are not treated than when people are treated. I estimate it will cost […]