This Content Is Only For Subscribers
By Karen Bong and Christopher Lidom
KUCHING, Aug 5: With 1 in 4 Malaysian adolescents depressed and 7 per cent having had at least one alcoholic drink in the past 30 days, Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg is calling for an upgrade of the country’s healthcare and psychiatric facilities.
Abang Johari said the National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2019 reported that 424,000 children have mental health problems in Malaysia.
He also said that according to the NHMS 2022: Adolescent Health Survey, among adolescents (13-17-years-old), 1 in 8 had suicidal thoughts, and 1 in 10 had attempted suicide, while based on the survey, among current drinkers, drinks were obtained from family (55 per cent), store (19 per cent) and friends (13 per cent) at the same time 73 per cent of them have parents who drink and 86 per cent of them have peers who drink.
“A decade trend (2012-2022) showed increasing trend in suicidal thoughts and attempted suicide respectively. These figures are quite worrying and need urgent attention from all agencies.
“We should give priority to our young generation. They are our future. Their mental health wellbeing is extremely crucial,” he said during launching ceremony of 6th Sarawak Mental Health Conference 2023 held at local hotel here today.
Apart from that, he pointed out that the expansion of Hospital Sentosa services and upgrading its infrastructure was also in need of urgent attention in order to address issues related to mental health.
“According to Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM), by 2028, Sarawak would become an aging State with the population of senior citizens in Sarawak is increasing at a rate of 0.55 per cent each year since 2020, and constitutes 12.6 per cent of the state’s total population.
“Our population is aging drastically, and therefore, there will be issues on mental health which need extra attention and consideration by Sarawak,” he added. — DayakDaily
