No health without mental health

I READ the letter, “Chance to learn about mental illness” ( The Star, Dec 22), and I fully agree with the writer SM. I feel that the more we shy away from talking about mental health, the more we are imprisoned by the effects of mental illness.

It is very common and normal for us to experience degrees of mental instability at different times of our lives. For example, when students are under exam pressure, they feel stressed and may even lose their appetite for a while. When someone is bereaved, their world may turn upside down. On a daily basis, we may experience relationship conflicts that impact the quality of our lives.

We cannot understand why we are stressed by the things people do and say. We are easily affected by others and the environment we are in. Sometimes people feel so overwhelmed that they feel the only way to preserve their sanity is by withdrawing from everything and everybody.

I was one of those who was constantly stressed by the behaviour of others until I entered into personal therapy and subsequently trained as a counsellor. The inner freedom I experience now makes me feel like a new person!

At that time I was living in London and there was a lot of awareness programmes on mental health. Facilities for counselling were introduced in schools and universities, and gradually students were open about seeing a counsellor without feeling being judged by their peers. But in Malaysia, I feel that we need to make more effort to create a positive impact on the public.

When we injure ourselves physically we are quick to consult a doctor, so why not consult someone when you “injure” yourself emotionally, especially when the pain and stress linger on? We do not need to suffer alone. When your mental health feels like having flu, don’t wait until it becomes like pneumonia. Like SM says, mental illness is a serious issue. I urge you to give equal attention to your mental health as your physical health.

Without mental health there is no health! Let us begin by being coura- geous in sharing our feelings with trusted ones, openly talking about the importance of taking care of our mental health, and thereby freeing ourselves from carrying the burden of unexpressed emotions.