KUCHING: The attitude towards people suffering from mental health needs to change while a safe place must be established for everyone to talk about this issue as well as seek help.
Sharing his thoughts, Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said: “First and foremost, it’s important to understand that the cause of suicide is complex and there is no blanket solution to address this, especially in dealing with suicidal thoughts.”
He opined that suicidal thoughts and their cause differed from person to person, depending on multiple factors, including biological, sociological, psychological or in some instances, spiritual.
Dr Yii said to address the issue, “we must then deal with the root cause of such thoughts, whether it is biological where there are changes in the brain causing such thoughts, or psychological, where such issues are caused by underlying mental illness.”
“Such root cause needs to be dealt with through professional medical help, including medication if needed, and psychotherapy.
“If the root cause is sociological, meaning there are external factors or even human interaction, then it has to be dealt in a sociological way and that applies for spiritual as well,” said Dr Yii here yesterday.
“Therefore, there is no blanket solution nor a single tablet that can make such thoughts go away.”
He stressed that it was important to acknowledge the realness and importance of the issue as many tended to brush off these thoughts without dealing with them properly, causing them to accumulate and with the right catalyst, could cause such thoughts to get worse and push a person to suicide.
“Thus, one of the best ways is to acknowledge the realness of these thoughts, not take them lightly and not to be afraid to seek help either from a psychiatrist or other professional mental health practitioners.”
“It is not weakness to seek for help, and the public must also learn to break the stigma on those seeking for help,” he said.
He stated that it was all too common that if a person sought medical help for a physical illness, they were not looked down upon, but those seeking help for mental health issues were often stigmatised and looked down upon.
“This has to change and a safe space must be established for us all to talk more about mental health as well as for those to seek help.
“The public can also learn how to identify any ‘cry for help’ or even symptoms of such conditions, whether physically or even on social media,” he added.
“We all have a collective responsibility to foster wellness, and to look out for one another in order to address this important issue.”
