So when will Malaysians prioritise mental health?

OCTOBER 10 — If some recent news reports about mental health in our country are on the mark, everyone should be very concerned.

The National Health & Morbidity Survey 2023 states that depression has doubled in the last four years.

Approximately one million people in the country aged 16 and above (4.6 per cent) have depression, compared with half a million adults (2.3 per cent) in 2019.

Among parents, it appears that more than 40 per cent are struggling with mental health issues.

In the public sector, the Public Service Department (PSD) reports that more than 40,000 civil servants are at risk of psychological health issues.

Sadly, Malaysia has the fourth highest suicide rate in the region with more than 4,000 individuals taking their lives every year (most of them between their late teens and mid-twenties).

Worse, it appears there is a lack of qualified professionals in this area. There are only about 500 psychiatrists in Malaysia, or one psychiatrist for every 200,000 individuals, which is lower than the World Health Organization’s recommended ratio of one psychiatrist for every 10,000 people.

Whilst mental health is a problem which affects many areas of life, this essay will focus on the workplace, an environment I believe is one of the chief aggravators of psychological problems.

I’ve spent more than 20 years in the corporate world and have lost count of the number of times I’ve seen folks “rage-quit” because they couldn’t stand a superior, or storm out of a meeting, or even break down in tears because they were verbally assaulted for their inability to meet certain standards and so on.

In light of these problems, how can leaders improve in light of increased incidents of mental health issues and suicides? What can CEOs and directors do to reduce overall stress and make office life less of a pressure-cooker?

I’m not talking about mere tactics to deal with mental health cases, but also mindsets and values to ensure such cases never happen as a result of workplace pressure.

Because let’s face it: Malaysian companies don’t handle mental health very well. Many HR managers simply don’t know what to do with employees suffering breakdowns, hallucinations, depression and so on.

And I don’t mean to refer to only those with diagnosed problems; even so-called “normal” people should have their mental health prioritised.

I also recall a (anecdotal? fictional?) story about how, in the Mercedes Benz HQ in Germany, the desks would automatically float up after a certain time. This was essentially the signal for all staff to quit working and go home.

Can Malaysian leaders implement something like this, in principle if not in practice? Do we care enough about our staff to (forcibly) tell them to take a break, relax and continue their work another time?

One huge problem with the corporate mindset is this idea that no matter how many pots of gold we’ve succeeded in finding at the end of a hundred rainbows, we must always keep on looking for a bigger pot.

It doesn’t matter how many millions we’ve made this year, we simply must do better next year lest we’re labelled failures.

What about us? Are we chasing success just because we see others doing it? Do we know what we really want?

On this World Mental Health Day 2024, let’s remind ourselves not to be chasing various forms of success just because we see others doing it.

As leaders, let’s inspire and model a life in which we’re not turning our minds into sites of strain, tension and anxiety every minute of our lives.

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

* If you are lonely, distressed, or having negative thoughts, Befrienders offers free and confidential support 24 hours a day. A full list of Befrienders contact numbers and state operating hours is available here: www.befrienders.org.my/centre-in-malaysia. There are also free hotlines for young people: Talian Kasih at 15999 (24/7); Talian BuddyBear at 1800-18-2327(BEAR)(daily 12pm-12am); Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935 or 014-322 3392); and Jakim’s Family, Social and Community Care Centre (WhatsApp 0111-959 8214).