LETTER: Everyone will remember that 2020 is by far the most challenging year. The most important thing at this point is for us to stay focused and keep our sanity intact. It seems that the Covid-19 pandemic is not slowing down any time soon.
We are not going to let it win. Kudos to the frontliners for providing excellent service to the public. They are heroes and deserve the highest recognition.
Up to Oct 16, Malaysia recorded 18,758 cases, 12,259 recovered cases and 176 deaths, as reported to the National Crisis Preparedness and Response Centre under the Health Ministry.
New clusters are emerging and the Conditional Movement Control Order (CMCO) has been reimposed on targeted areas. For those that have been affected, it is deja vu as the CMCO was first imposed in early May. The Covid-19 pandemic has affected our lives and social norms considerably.
We have seen the grave effects of Covid-19 on our socio-economy. People have lost jobs and incomes. Others are facing emotional distress due to changes in working environment and routines. Lives have become fragile as things are not as stable as they used to be. This has caused anxiety and fear for safety.
The thought of not knowing what will happen next has caused stress. Mental health has become an important topic of discussion, especially in this time of uncertainty. Not only do we need to stay at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus, we also need to stay sane to get through this pandemic.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2019 revealed that nearly half a million Malaysian adults had symptoms of depression, while 424,000 children had mental health problems. Even more alarming is that children between 10 and 15 were found to have mental health problems. Thus, it is crucial to combat mental health issues head on.
It could not be more apt that the message of this year's World Mental Health Day, which falls on Oct 10 every year, has called for greater investment in mental health at national and international levels. More programmes should be conducted to raise awareness, and increase mental health and psychosocial support.
Schoolchildren should be equipped with traits that could help them overcome mental health problems. And those who are experiencing mental health problems need extra care and support from the community.
The pandemic could worsen our mental health, thus, our priority is to care for ourselves and the people we love. We should maintain our wellbeing and boost our energy by practising self-care such as eating healthy food, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and keeping social connections.
Everyone is hoping that this pandemic will end so that we can go back to our normal lives. Let us continue to do our part to flatten the curve.
DR JUDITH GISIP
Senior Lecturer, Eco-Technology Programme, Faculty of Applied Sciences, UiTM, Shah Alam, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times