The government allocated RM 25 billion for health care in the 2017 budget. According to WHO, Malaysia dedicates 1.5 % of the health care budget on mental health, or approximately RM 375 million. This RM 375 million would be for mental health care in general. That is far from sufficient. According to US researchers, the cost of […]
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 […]
What if: A case of depression
By Dr. Chua Sook Ning WHAT IF we treated our physical illnesses the way we treat our mental illnesses? Let’s imagine you woke up one fine morning in Kuala Lumpur. 1. Your head hurts, you had a fever, your throat was sore and your nose was runny. Your whole body was aching and you felt […]
Sexual recidivism is not a mental illness
By Dr. Chua Sook Ning The NST Online report of Selva Kumar Subbiah addressed the social stigma against convicts and rightly affirms the civil rights of all citizens regardless of one’s past. Unfortunately, the article ends with this: “The American Supreme Court has interpreted this recidivist tendency as a mental health problem and sentences of […]
Our mental health care is the elephant in the room.
By Dr. Chua Sook Ning IN 2015, the Health Ministry revealed that 30% of Malaysians have a mental health condition. This figure is alarming and reflects a three-fold increase since 1996. Yet we have not heard much from the Government to address this issue. The silence from the authorities is disappointing, to say the least. […]
