‘M’sia needs a psych well-being index’

PETALING JAYA: The country needs to have its own index to measure the psychological well-being of Malaysians, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

“The index is especially important to gauge the psychological state of those who are working. We have to ensure those who contribute to the nation’s development are those with a positive mindset, mature, and have the ability to be productive, creative and innovative.

“We need to beef up efforts to churn out workers who are physically, emotionally and spiritually balanced,” said Lee in a statement yesterday.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health chairman said a psychological well-being index was an important tool for raising awareness of mental health in the country.

“A country’s success is not merely deter- mined by the economic dimension but also by human capital development founded on professionalism, acumen and good mental health development,” he said.

Using depression as an example, he said mental disorders should be treated similarly as physical illnesses due to their effects on individuals.

“Figures released by the World Health Organisation show that more than 300 million people around the globe are experiencing what is referred to as clinical depression.

“But depression is undiagnosed or under-diagnosed. It is not being taken as seriously as physical maladies. Society must start to raise awareness of depression,” he said.

Lee also called on the government to increase the resources it had allocated for addressing mental health among the people.