Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah had worded perfectly what one of the common stigmas surrounding “mental illness” has been (in the context of a lack of awareness):
“Mental health is a very misunderstood issue and many associate it with madness. We should not simply dismiss the mentally-ill as ‘gila’ (crazy) and most people who live with mental illness have, at some point, been blamed for their condition and they’ve been called names”[1].
Mental health is no stranger in the world of media. In recent times, there has been a greater openness in the sharing of mental health struggles, whether it be the testimonies of public figures or social media users. Singer Elizabeth Tan had shared about a point in her life where she felt as though everything was falling apart: her personal life, family, her relationship, and her faith. For that fleeting moment in time, the thought of considering suicide came into her mind. “I felt that I had lost my mind, and I had lost myself”, she admitted in tears[2]. Thankfully, she stands as one of the numbers that were stopped from actually going through the act of taking her own life. She credited the good support system around her (including her mom and her good friends) who shook her back to reality. The availability of support is one of the biggest factors that is able to contribute towards a greater understanding of mental health. A survey by the Time to Change project created by mental health charities Mind and Rethink Mental Illness found that of 2,500 British adults, 66% feel alone in their struggles[3]. Sue Baker, director of Time to Change, had commented: ‘People still think there is no right time or place to talk about mental health, that it’s something that should be whispered about in quiet corners. We all need to work hard to change and remove the barriers to talking’. We often have the mind-set of “I’m not equipped for this” or “I should leave this to a professional”, and yes although that is not entirely incorrect (for cases that are more serious, encouragement to go to therapy is very valid), we don’t seem to realize that sometimes, all a person needs is a friend to hear them out. Conversations have the power to change lives; we have the choice for our words to inspire, or for our words to destroy.
It was also reported that actor Jun Tae Soo had passed away recently this January 2018, after reportedly being in the battle against his depression[4]. Although the exact cause of his passing has not been revealed, incidents like these brings to light even more that mental health issues is sometimes scarily invisible. His condition was reported to have been improving greatly during the break he took to work on his mental health, and his return to the big screen was in the works. This scenario is reminiscent of the not too long ago passing of SHINee’s Jong-Hyun, who had been doing extremely well on his solo tour and was prepping for the release of his solo record before being found having taken his own life. In the wake of his death, Dr Park mentioned that at the very least Jonghyun’s passing had created an awareness among entertainment companies to be more mindful in caring for the mental health of their trainees[5]. However, it would require a great societal change to be able to really tackle the root of our attitudes towards mental health. It’s time that we acknowledge that mental health is important, and anyone can be susceptible to spiralling in the midst of our despair. How many more lives are needed to be taken away before we as a society, is able to comprehend that?
Win Li
Pursuing her law degree, but secretly inspires to also be a writer. Occasionally has deep thoughts about life and conjures emotional proses about them. “She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future” (Proverbs 31:25).
Blog Address:
https://thoughtcatalog.com/lily-low/
[1] Zaheera Johari, “Fatimah: Mental illness on the rise in Malaysia”, 25th October 2017, Borneo Post Online, http://www.theborneopost.com/2017/10/25/fatimah-mental-illness-on-the-rise-in-malaysia/
[2] Astro Gempak, “Alami tekanan jiwa, Elizabeth Tan mengaku nyaris bunuh diri”, 9th August 2017, http://www.astroawani.com/berita-hiburan/alami-tekanan-jiwa-elizabeth-tan-mengaku-nyaris-bunuh-diri-151863
[3] Faima Bakar, “Two thirds of people feel as though they have no one to talk to about their personal problems”, 1st February 2018, Metro UK, http://metro.co.uk/2018/02/01/two-thirds-people-feel-though-no-one-talk-personal-problems-7278188/
[4] Katie Baillie, “Koren actor Jeon Tae Soo dies aged 34, sister Ha Ji Won cancels all public appearances”, 22nd January 2018, http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/22/korean-actor-jeon-tae-soo-dies-aged-34-sister-ha-ji-won-cancels-public-appearances-7248893/
[5] Emma Kelly, “Jonghyun’s tragic death shines a light on K-pop’s mental health epidemic”, 4th January 2018, Metro UK, http://metro.co.uk/2018/01/04/jonghyuns-tragic-death-shines-a-light-on-k-pops-mental-health-epidemic-7203608/
