‘Many people not aware they may have mental problem’
KUCHING: There is a high possibility that those who are thought to be possessed by the spirits or charmed by someone are actually suffering from poor mental health, revealed director of Sentosa Hospital Dr Ismail Drahman.
He noted that this is because many Sarawakians are not aware that they suffer from mental problems.
“They are not aware of their mental health because they are not exposed to mental health knowledge. Mental literacy is important so that they know what mental health is. So those who are thought to be possessed by the spirits or charmed by someone must also be given medical attention by their relatives and not just by looking for ‘bomoh’ or Chinese mediums,” Dr Ismail told The Borneo Post here yesterday.
He added that early detection and early treatment of poor mental health were important to prevent further complications and higher risk of developing mental illnesses.
Dr Ismail noted that many people suffered from some form of psychological distress but might not realise they had such problems.
Failure to treat the problem at an early stage or if left untreated, he said, could lead to disastrous consequences for one’s self and to society.
He agreed with the Malaysian Mental Health Association deputy president Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj Chandrasekaran, as reported in a national daily yesterday, that one in three Malaysians has mental health issues, with many failing to address the problem for fear of being labelled ‘mentally ill’.
Dr Andrew was also quoted to have said that the figures cited in the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015 were alarming, whereby 29.2 per cent of adults were said to be suffering from poor mental health.
On another subject, Dr Ismail, who is also deputy president of the Mental Health Association of Sarawak, revealed that the Sentosa Hospital which was built during the colonial time would need funding to slowly improve its facilities.
“On the other hand, we also need to improve our human resources as we also need allied health personnel such as clinical psychologists and nursing staff who are trained in mental healthcare so that we can offer better services to the patients here,” he pointed out.
He reminded the public that they can get mental healthcare from any health clinic in the state.
Through better education, he hoped the people would have better knowledge and awareness of mental healthcare.
Sentosa Hospital can be reached at 082- 612321 or 082- 612898 for more information.
They are not aware of their mental health because they are not exposed to mental health knowledge. Mental literacy is important so that they know what mental health is. So those who are thought to be possessed by the spirits or charmed by someone must also be given medical attention by their relatives and not just by looking for ‘bomoh’ or Chinese mediums. Dr Ismail Drahman, Sentosa Hospital director