You
unofficial guide to
Mental Health Malaysia
What is mental health?
Mental health is how you think, feel and act in order to face life's situations. It is how
you look at yourself, your life, and the people in your life; how you evaluate your
options and make choices. Mental health includes things like handling stress, relating to
other people, and making decisions. And like many physical aspects of your health, it
develops as you get older.
Everyone has mental health. Mental health ranges from good to not so good and even to
poor. A person's mental health may move through the range sometimes a person is healthier
than at other times and sometimes he or she needs help to handle problems. Many people
experience mental health problems at some time during their lives.
These disorders are not just a passing phase; they can really
interfere with a person's life. Mental health problems can be severe and can lead to
school failure, loss of friends, or family problems.
Experience big changes in the way you get along: for example, you:
Find yourself limited by:
Behave in ways that cause you problems, for example:
What helps?
Mental health problems are painful. They can hurt as much as (or more than) a serious
physical injury. If you have a mental health problem, the sooner you get the right help,
the sooner you may feel better.
Some of the things that may help are:
The people who help you should understand you and your family
situation. They should talk about your strong points as well as your problems. And they
should respect you an your feelings.
Examples of where these people may work are:
Or you can call a local hotline.
Call telephone directory assistance or NGOs to get a local hotline number.
Malaysian Mental Health
Association (MMHA)
No 9, Lorong 3/57B, Off Jalan Sentosa,
46000 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor Darul Ehsan.
Tel: (03) 7782 5499
The information herein is adapted from the brochure entitled
"Life can be tough
" by MMHA.
For enquiries, please e-mail to mentalhealth@consultant.com.