Materia Medica Malaysiana

Accept mental patients into society: Body

Langkawi: The Malaysian Psychiatric Association, the Health Ministry and a company, Janssen-Cilag, Saturday launched an awareness campaign called “Circle of Care” to eradicate the notion that mental patients are a danger to the public.

Association President Prof Dr Mohd Hussain Habil said the number of aggressive mental patients was low as most adjusted well back into society given the proper medical treatment.

“This programme intends to shift patient care from institutions to the home,” he told reporters after signing a memorandum of understanding in conjunction with the Malaysian Mental Health Convention here.

He said the programme was important - as one in every nine Malaysians suffered from depression to scizofrenia. And between seven to 10 per cent of mental patients committed suicide.

Janssen-Cilag, a company under Johson & Johnson, donated about RM60,000 towards the programme.

The programme kicked off in June when a support group from Hospital Sultan Aminah in Johor Bahru celebrated the return of Hospital Bahagia patients to their respective families.

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Kedah today urged the rakyat and related agencies to ensure the well-being of individuals who suffered from mental illnesses and not merely depend on mental health professionals.

The text of his speech was read out during the launch of the convention by the Raja Muda of Kedah.

The Sultan said efforts by the Health Ministry to promote psychiatric services to all people - in line with this year’s slogan “Mental Health for All” would be successful if there was good support from all concerned.

He urged all parties, including Government agencies and non-governmental organisations, to become a catalyst in actively promoting mental health services and care for patients within society.-Bernama