BINTULU: The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2022 revealed that 29.2 per cent of Malaysian adults, equivalent to over 4.2 million individuals, are dealing with mental health problems.
Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Datuk Sri Fatimah Abdullah noted that the latest analysis also showed a worrying rise in anxiety related to suicide among teenagers, with one in eight teenagers having thought about suicide, while one in 10 had attempted it.
“This survey, conducted periodically by the National Institute of Health and the Malaysian Ministry of Health, provides an accurate overview of the nation’s health and measures the prevalence of certain diseases and risk factors,” she said.
Fatimah made these remarks during the inauguration of World Mental Health Day and National Counseling Month at the Bintulu Divisional Level, held at the Bintulu Development Board (BDA) Auditorium on Thursday (Oct 10).
She expressed concern over the significant increase in suicide attempts among teenagers, with the rate rising from 6.8 per cent in NHMS 2012 to 9.5 per cent in NHMS 2022.
Additionally, the number of teenagers contemplating suicide also surged from 7.9 per cent to 13.1 per cent during the same period.
Fatimah also referred to the NHMS 2023 findings, which revealed that one in six children in Malaysia suffers from mental health problems.
“The data showed that 46 per cent of children have issues with peers, 25 per cent face behavioral problems, 17 per cent deal with emotional difficulties, and 8 percent experience hyperactivity,” she explained.
She said that mental health is critical in all aspects of life but is often misunderstood and overshadowed by negative stigma.
“Mental health impacts an individual’s emotional, psychological, and social well-being and plays a crucial role in how a person thinks, feels, and behaves,” she said.Citing the
World Health Organisation (WHO), Fatimah explained that mental health is defined as a state in which an individual can cope with life’s pressures, function productively, and contribute to their community.
“Mental illness, or mental disorder, can happen to anyone. It involves changes in thinking, emotions, or behaviour and often leads to difficulty coping with daily stress,” she said, stressing that one can experience poor mental health without being diagnosed with a mental illness.
