THE stigma of mental health is prevalent in Malaysia, even to this day.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey in 2019 reported that half a million Malaysians were found to be experiencing symptoms of depression.
Besides that, the onset of the pandemic has also led to an increase in cases of depression and anxiety, according to consultant psychiatrist and president of the Malaysian Mental Health Association Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj.
Nevertheless, in recent years, there has been an increase in efforts to raise awareness for mental health in Malaysia, be it from organisations or distinguished individuals.
Together with media platform UNRESERVED, leading insurance and takaful provider Etiqa has launched True Grit, a series of articles aimed at combating the mental health stigma in the country.
Through a series of conversations with various personalities, True Grit sheds a different light on the subject and shows how Malaysians overcame their own difficult situations and personal challenges.
By having a diverse group of Malaysians sharing their own experiences with the public, Etiqa aims to bring hope and inspiration to those struggling with mental illness.
REAL STORIES FROM MALAYSIANS
One of those inspiring individuals is the founder, CEO and editor-in-chief of UNRESERVED Kassandra Kassim, who discovered she had an aggressive form of breast cancer in 2020.
When asked how she dealt with her emotions during this difficult time, she admitted that there were times where she was unable to handle her anger, so she channelled her energy into activities to take her mind off it.
"When you're doing stuff with your hands, and Nigella Lawson said this when I interviewed her recently, your mind doesn't take over because you're focused on something else. Because the mind's such a dangerous thing, it could go places that you don't want it to go to."
Former Miss Malaysia and ex-model Deborah Henry provides enlightening insights on the struggles of humanitarian work, and the challenges it presents in Malaysia.
She finds that she becomes easily overwhelmed when she witnesses many distressing stories of refugees.
"And then watching the news… I was just emotionally wrecked, and then the decision I made was, 'you know what, I should stop watching the news', and that's something I enjoy: waking up in the morning and putting on the TV. But I just stopped doing it, because, at some point, I was like 'it's actually very bad for me' and then I can't actually go on in my day and do what I need to do."
For Datuk Pandelela Rinong, Malaysia's national diver and Olympic medallist, being in the limelight means facing a lot of pressure when representing the nation in global events.
She explained that for every competition before her first dive, she would shut her mind and dive according to how she had been practising.
"I started diving internationally when I was 14, and I found that my thinking and my mindset was more mature compared to others my age, and it was because of my routine. It's also because of my discipline, that I have to follow diligently every day and because of that, I trained myself to be more determined and also to be strong — not just physically but also mentally."
Seeing how much of a toll the pandemic has taken on young doctors and nurses, physician and founder of Mercy Malaysia Tan Sri Dr Jemilah Mahmood believes in the need for mental health awareness and wishes to destigmatise it.
"I really hope that more people will understand that it's just like any other disease, whether it's hypertension or diabetes or anything else. Mental health is also a health problem.
"The more you engage with exercise and much more healthy living, your mental health resilience will probably be strengthened." she said.
MENTAL HEALTH COVERAGE
Speaking on the mental health crisis in Malaysia, CEO of Etiqa Life Insurance Berhad Paul Low said that according to the Ministry of Health (MOH), 85.5 per cent of calls to government agencies since the pandemic were inquiring about mental health issues.
"A lot of them need psychological and emotional support and counselling. MOH predicts that mental health will be the second-highest health issue in Malaysia after heart disease. The seriousness of mental health is becoming a hot topic nowadays. And with the prolonging of this pandemic, I foresee that the mental health issue will continue to rise." he said.
It is clear that mental health can take a serious toll on one's overall health. This is precisely why Etiqa provides their customers with insurance and takaful products that cover mental health.
As one of the first insurance and takaful providers to include mental health coverage in their plans, their products are meant to provide holistic coverage for both physical and mental health.
CEO of Etiqa Family Takaful Berhad Zafri Ab Halim said that due to the growing number of Malaysians suffering from mental health problems, they understood the need for providing coverage for mental health illnesses.
"At the time that we launched AafiahCare — which happened to be the first standalone takaful critical illness plan in Malaysia that covers 68 critical illnesses, including for mental health — we were well aware that a staggering 29.2 per cent of Malaysians were suffering from mental illness. At Etiqa, we believe in helping people and making the world a better place. So what better way to prove this than by creating a product that covers a person's overall well-being holistically?"
The AafiahCare Takaful and the IL CI Plus (Investment-Linked Critical Illness Plus rider) plans not only cover up to 68 critical illnesses, they also cover four types of mental illnesses such as Bipolar Affective Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder, Schizophrenia or Schizoaffective Disorder.
Find out more about Etiqa's mental health coverage plans by visiting their website.
Watch the interview videos from True Grit in their entirety here.