KUCHING: One of the biggest challenges faced by persons with mental health issues is stigma, said Dr Syarifah Hafizah Wan Kassim.
The consultant psychiatrist at Sentosa Hospital said that this could be in the form of self-stigma or stigma from the public.
“Persons with mental health issues or who have been diagnosed with mental health illness may have stigma towards themselves. On top of this, the public also discriminates against people with mental health issues.
“This will lead them to them not wanting to come forward to seek treatment,” she said during an online session themed ‘A Dialogue on Mental Health: Meeting the Needs of Greater Sarawak’ organised and livestreamed by Mental Health Association of Sarawak (MHAS) via its Facebook page on Saturday (Oct 16). It was moderated by MHAS Miri branch chairperson Dr Bawih Inu Pu’un.
Dr Syarifah Hafizah said with more mental health promotion, such stigma would eventually and slowly diminish.
“There is greater awareness now. I believe we have to instill help-seeking behaviour. We have to instill this from a young age — that it is okay to not be okay, and we should start to talk and converse and share how we are feeling,” she said.
Apart from stigma, she said a major issue faced by persons with mental health problems was unemployment or job loss, especially during the current Covid-19 pandemic.
Hope Place founder Kelvin Wan shared the same view, pointing out that persons with mental health issues tended to face difficulties in gaining employment.
“When we visit people who need help and we learn of their background, we find out that most of them cannot get a job despite trying their best.
“They are sincere when they go and look for a job and they tell their potential employer that they come from Sentosa Hospital, but due to that sincerity and honesty, people do not dare to employ them.”
