One in six afflicted with mental illness nationwide
Posted on February 4, 2012, Saturday
SUNGAI PETANI: One in six people in the country has been afflicted with mental health illness, a statistic described by a concerned Malaysian Psychiatric Association (MPA) as ‘high’.
MPA president Dr Abdul Kadir Abu said the statistic was reflective of the 2011 National Health and Morbidity survey which indicated 12 per cent of Malaysians aged between 18 and 60 faced different types of mental illness.
Of the percentage, depression made up two per cent, psychosis (one), worrying (1.8) while the rest involved anxiety disorder, which was a chronic disease, and mild diseases.
Dr Abdul Kadir said the survey also found that women faced a two-fold risk in being afflicted with mental health illness as compared to men.
“Women facing marital discord or are stressed by problems caused by children risked having mental health illness.
“On the other hand, men faced similar mental health illness if they were badly injured in road accidents or were linked to drug abuse,” he told reporters when met at the Sultan Abdul Halim Hospital here yesterday.
Dr Abdul Kadir urged women who suffered from depression and continued anxiety disorder for more than two weeks to seek immediate treatment.
He said there were 45 psychiatry departments nationwide and four mental health hospitals to enable patients to seek help and overcome their problems. — Bernama
