August 2014 - Mentalhealth.org.my

MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN
[Buletin Kesihatan Mental ]
Persatuan Kesihatan Mental Malaysia
PATRON: TOH PUAN DATO’ SERI HJH. DR. AISHAH ONG
August 2014 (2/2014)
KDN PP/5342/02/2013 (031842)
by Datin Dr. Fauzi Ismail
by Madam Lolita L. Gonzaga
by Datin Dr. K.T. Ang
Over to the New President !
Know why Lily’s Annual $ Contribution
IS SPECIAL
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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CONTENTS
Note From The Editor
2
President message
3-4
Lily’s annual contributions
4
Change of Guard (2014/2016)
4-5
Is your child a victim of bullying
5
An MMHA volunteer’s testimony
6
This issue tells briefly about societal hurts in the form of bullying at
school, at work, at home, and even, through electronic media, and
societal gifts in the form of donations through volunteerism and financial contributions!
Depression is common and treatable
7
MMHA Activities & Awareness
8/9
MMHA Announcement
10
Glimpses of past MINDA WALKS
10/11
Datin Dr. Fauzi Ismail, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Hospital
Kuala Lumpur, spoke on the subject of bullying and being bullied
at MMHA, while former president, Datin Dr. Ang Kim Teng reiterates here that although depression is common, it is TREATABLE!
Sponsorship Form
12
Donation is an act or instance of presenting something as a gift,
grant, or contribution. Our present president, Mr. See’s financial
contributions to MMHA as well as his coming back to give his time
and efforts are commendable. Even, Lily, our former client, contributes annually in her own, little but touching way!
Advisor
Datin Dr. Ang Kim Teng
Societal hurts and gifts...
Volunteerism is the principle of donating time and energy for the
benefit of other people in the community, such as, an organization
like MMHA. It is a social responsibility without any financial reward. Lolita L. Gonzaga is one kind person who patiently teaches
our clients some skills in craft and sewing!
And, the past glimpses of MINDA WALKS remind us excitingly
about the coming 4th Biennial MINDA Walk which will be held at
the Central Park Bandar Botanic, Klang, on the 12th October 2014
[Sunday].
I would like to express a big thank you to former editorial team
members, and welcome Pn. Fazlin Badri as our assistant editor to
the MMHA bulletin editorial team. We would also welcome professional and carers’ contributions.
EDITORIAL
Editor
Tan Tang Peng
Assistant Editor
Pn. Fazlin Badri
Editorial team
Dr. Eileen Nadarajah
Alwin Mah
Nurhijjah bt. Mat Zin
Santa Kumarie
Jo Phang
Naresh S/o Arumugam
Bawanie Rachel
Tan Tang Peng
The Editor
Publisher:
Malaysian Mental Health Association, MMHA Office: 8 Jalan 4/33, off Jalan Othman, 46050 Petaling Jaya
Telephone: 03 7782 5499, 03-77825499 , Fax: 03-7783 5432 , Email: [email protected] Website : http://mmha.org.my/
All rights reserved. Requests for bulletin or permission to reproduce or translate MMHA Mental Health bulletin – whether for sale
or for noncommercial distribution – should be addressed to MMHA as above. Views expressed by the individual authors may not
necessarily reflect that of MMHA. MMHA does not warrant that the information contained in this publication is complete and
correct and shall not be liable for any damages incurred as a result of its use.
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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After a lapse of 6 years as the Past President, I have been re-elected to lead MMHA once
again at the last AGM in May. It is an honour indeed, for among those elected to the
Committee were many capable professionals. I wish to thank all who had confidence in
me, and voted for my return.
I must say MMHA is in a much stronger position than when I left in 2008. For this, I
must thank the immediate Past President, Datin Dr. Ang Kim Teng, the staff and her team
of Committee Members for working tirelessly to build up MMHA. I look forward to
working with the new team of Committee Members to bring MMHA to greater heights.
Mental health is a growing concern and there is increasing awareness on its importance.
Mental health affects all, irrespective of age or social position. The sad thing however, is that mental illness is
still not openly accepted as any other illness. It is often covered up due to negative perception surrounding
mental illness. We hope to change this mind set - that people with mental illness would no longer feel
ashamed, and would stand up to acknowledge that they have had mental illness, had overcome it and had continued to lead successful lives. Until then, support us in our effort to make Mental Health an important part of
Health and Wellbeing for the people in Malaysia.
Mr. See Cheng Siang,
President, Malaysian Mental Health Association
Selepas 6 tahun berlalu, sekali lagi saya dipilih untuk mengetuai MMHA dalam Mesyuarat Agung Tahunan
yang lepas. Ini adalah satu penghormatan bagi saya, memandangkan yang terpilih sebagai ahli jawatankuasa adalah di kalangan professional. Saya ingin mengucapkan terima kasih kepada mereka yang telah
memberikan kepercayaan kepada dan memilih saya sekali lagi.
Saya dapati MMHA kini lebih kukuh berbanding dengan enam tahun yang lalu. Untuk ini, saya ingin mengucapkan Terima Kasih kepada presiden MMHA yang lalu, Datin Dr. Ang Kim Teng, staf-staf di MMHA dan
ahli-ahli jawatankuasa yang telah bertungkus-lumus membangunkan MMHA selama ini. Saya berharap
dapat bekerjasama dengan AJK baru untuk membawa MMHA ke tahap yang lebih baik lagi. Kesihatan mental adalah isu yang makin menarik perhatian ramai, dan kesedaran mengenai kepentingannya juga semakin
meningkat.
Kesihatan Mental melibatkan semua, tidak mengira usia dan status sosial. Perkara yang amat menyedihkan
ialah, penyakit mental masih tidak diterima secara terbuka sebagaimana penyakit lain disebabkan oleh persepsi negatif yang mengelilingi penyakit ini. Kami berharap dapat mengubahkan tanggapan ini – agar mereka yang mengidap penyakit mental tidak lagi merasa malu, bahkan dapat mengakui hakikatnya, dan membuktikan bahawa penyakit mereka tidak menjadi penghalang terhadap kemajuan dan kejayaan dalan kehidupan
mereka.
Sehingga itu, sokonglah kami untuk menonjolkan kesihatan mental menjadi satu aspek penting dalam
kesihatan dan kesejahteraan orang ramai di Malaysia.
Mr. See Cheng Siang,
Presiden, Persatuan Kesihatan Mental Malaysia
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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时隔六年，在今年5月的会员大会上我再次被推选来领导MMHA。当选的委员中有很
多都是能力出众的专业人士，我深感荣幸能与他们共事。我衷心的感谢各位对我的
信任并支持我重回这个团队。无可否认，自我从2008年卸任后至今，MMHA已发展
成为一个更成熟的组织。对此，我要感谢前任主席拿汀洪金定医生及全体职委们，
为建立MMHA努力不懈的坚持与付出。我期待能与新组成的委员团队一起努力，将
MMHA带往另一个高峰。
目前，已有越来越多人意识到精神健康的重要性；它所涉及的层面，并不受牵制于年龄或阶
层。可悲的是，社会大众对精神疾病的接受程度并不如其他疾病；精神病通常都会因为周边的负面印
象而被掩饰。我们希望可以改变人们对精神病人的刻板思维─即不再需要因他们患上精神疾病而感到
羞耻，他们能勇于承认自己的病情，克服它并迈向成功的道路。在此，恳请各界人士给予我们支持，
一起努力使精神健康成为马来西亚人健康和幸福重要的一环。
施自生先生, 主席
马来西亚精神健康协会
The Annual General Meeting on 31 May saw a change of leadership where Past
President, Datin Dr. Ang, requested not to be re-elected after helming the organisation for 3 terms (6 years).
Mr. See Cheng Siang, a Past President for the 2006/2008 term was elected as the
new President. We welcome Mr. See to lead as he is known for his passion for mental health and is a man with a golden heart in matters relating to mental health. Mr.
See was in the construction industry before his retirement from active business.
benefit in many ways.
We are however happy that Datin Dr. Ang continues to serve MMHA as the new
Hon. Secretary General. With her experience, we are sure MMHA management will
The new team comprise of a mix of new and old members and this augurs well for the continuity of the management. Additional members who can contribute to the organisation will be added as provided under the
Constitution.
Thank You, Lily!
Every year without fail, Lily would send in a donation of RM300 to MMHA even though she
doesn’t earn much at a fast food chain. Lily had mental illness and attended our day rehab
3 years ago. She has since recovered and returned to work, something she could not do for
many years until recently.
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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Bullying happens in schools, institutions of higher learning and at work place. Often,
it is not reported for fear of repercussions or adult’s reaction that might create a scene.
Datin Dr. Fauzi Ismail, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, Hospital Kuala Lumpur,
spoke on the subject of bullying and being bullied in our regular monthly talk on 24th
May in MMHA.
There are different kinds of bullying [NST, 4th July 2013]

Physical bullying is hurting a person by hitting, kicking, punching or shoving someone onto the ground.

Cyber bullying occurs when frightening, terrifying or threatening messages, pictures, or information using
electronic media or computers or mobile phones, in the form of email, instant messages, text messaging
and voicemail.

When a bully threatens or frightens someone into doing things for him /her [the bully], it amounts to intimidation.

Social alienation is when a bully excludes someone from a group on purpose while spreading rumours,
making up stories and making fun of him/her. The latter adds on to indirect bullying.

Lastly, verbal bullying is name-calling, making offensive remarks or jokes about someone’s religion, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or the way one looks.
Victims are usually quiet and shy, appear timid and weak, and have no or few friends. The tell-tale signs of
being a victim of bullying include fear of going to school; missing belongings; torn clothing; increase fearfulness & anxiety and decline of academic performance
If you suspect someone is being bullied, talk to the child and find out more to help him/her.
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I have been a volunteer for the craft work sessions since 2002 with MMHA when my
son Dr Rabindran Gonzaga was elected as the president of the association. Then
from 2007 to 2008, the centre terminated the craft work sessions. After a lapse of a
few years, I was called back to continue the craft work sessions.
We conduct these craft work sessions mainly as therapy sessions. We also do craft works including flower
pressing, making silk flowers, printing tee-shirts, soft toys, tote bags and other popular usable items. The
finished pieces of work done by clients were sold at charity organizations and bazaars and part of the proceeds would be given to them.
Working with the clients has been a rewarding experience. It needs patience and understanding as they have
issues. They cannot be pushed as their concentration level is short. Finished pieces of work may not be perfect or complete but accomplished with help from volunteers.
We used to have singing sessions with the clients which they enjoy. One song that I remember that they
liked to sing and seemed very meaningful to them was “I Have A Dream” by ABBA. They used to sing this
song as their signature song at gatherings in MMHA.
The thought that I am helping the clients and contributing in a small way towards their welfare is satisfying.
Interacting and spending time with them during the sessions is also valuable to them. The activities and programmes organized by MMHA are excellent. The officers and carers are doing an excellent job. My wishes
to the clients is that they fit into society and will be successful.
go to
http://mmha.org.my/forums
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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Depression is Common and Treatable !
By Datin Dr. K.T. Ang
Depression affects people, irrespective of age, ethnicity or social standing. It is not a sign
of weakness or a defect in character. People with depression cannot get better by simply
asking them to pull themselves up and think positively. IT IS AN ILLNESS, caused by
chemical imbalance/deficiencies in the brain and is TREATABLE.
The World Health Organisation predicts that Depression will be the second top global disease burden by the
year 2020. Depression is common and yet, it is said that only 50% of them get proper treatment. The other
50% continue to suffer, living a lesser quality of life. Some even become socially disabled and dismissed
from their jobs. Up to 4% of untreated depression ends up in suicide. There is still ignorance on depression
as an illness, stigma and inability to accept the diagnosis and hence getting proper treatment. In some countries, this may be due to lack of access to treatment facilities.
The National Health and Morbidity Survey 2011 by the Ministry of Health found that 1.8% of adult population (aged 16 and above) had depression at the time of survey, with a range of 1.3% to 4.6% between different population groups. It was also higher among people in urban areas, and among females.
Depression is the most treatable mental illness with full recovery potential. Untreated depression not only
affects productivity in work, but also relationships at work and in the family. A depressed person may be labeled as lazy, useless, unproductive, or anti-social.
Awareness about depression and knowledge on how it presents, can help you or someone you know to seek
early treatment and get over it. Be opened about depression. You will be surprised how many others you
know have had depression before, when you start to open up.
Signs and Symptoms of Depression Reference
If you experienced five or more of the following symptoms persistently for more than 2 weeks, seek help
from a healthcare professional, or contact MMHA for assistance.
 Persistent sad, anxious or "empty" mood,
 Loss of interest or pleasure in hobbies or activities that were once enjoyed, including sex,
 Decreased energy, fatigue, feeling “slowed
down”,
 Difficulty concentrating, remembering, making decisions,
 Feelings of hopelessness, worthless ness, pessimism and guilt





Restlessness, irritability
Changes in sleep patterns: insomnia, early
morning waking or oversleeping
Appetite and weight changes
Persistent physical symptoms that do not respond to treatment, such as headaches, digestive disorders or chronic pain
Thoughts of death or suicide, or suicide attempts
Reference : World Federation for Mental Health (2010). An international awareness pack. What You Know About Depression Can Help
You. Woodbridge, USA. Available in www.wfmh.org
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Prof. Dr. Mikyung Seo from Dept of Social Welfare, Gyeonsang
National University of South Korea visited MMHA on 21 May.
Fire Drill in MMHA on 12 June with the help of Balai Bomba
Jalan Penchala Petaling Jaya. Staff and clients learnt how to use
the fire extinguisher, and to evacuate quickly following the protocol when alerted on a fire .
8 June. Datin Dr. Ang receiving donation from the Royal Selangor Turf
Club presented by its Patron, HRH
Sultan Selangor.
On 16 June, MMHA clients were
brought to the Supported Employment and Job Fair for OKU, for interview.
39th Annual General Meeting on 31 May. Datin Dr. Ang stepped down as
President after serving tirelessly as President for 6 years.
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Talk on Stress and Mental Health to
students in Sunway University on 24
June by Datin Dr.Ang Kim Teng.
Mental Health Talk for Salcon Bhd. employees by Datin Dr. Ang on 2 June.
Public Talk on Stress Management - the MindFulness Way in MMHA on 28 June, by
Ms. Chiang Khai Chong,Clincal Pychologist from University Kebangsaan Malaysia.
Simon is one of our clients in MMHA’s rehabilitation programme. He has mental
illness and intellectual disability. Despite his limitations, Simon is gifted with artistic ability to draw and paint. He is fortunate to have great support from his family
who invested in art lessons to develop his hobby and passion.
With guidance from his art instructor, Simon has produced some beautiful paintings
which are featured in this issue. Simon’s paintings are for sale – price, negotiable.
If anyone is interested to purchase his artwork, please contact MMHA for further
details.
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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MINDA HEALTH WALK IS BACK AGAIN !
The 2014 MINDA Health Walk will move to Klang this year, at
the Central Park Bandar Botanic, Klang, on 12th October
[Sunday]. This is the 4th Biennial Walk in conjunction with World
Mental Health Day.
Our partners in this year’s event include the Klang Family Support Group, the Psychiatric Department of Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah, and the Bandar Botanic Resident Assocciation.
2014 MINDA WALK at : Central Park,
Bandar Botanic, Klang
The event is aimed at increasing public awareness on mental
health issues, where to seek help, and to destigmatise mental illness. This is a non-competitive walk with
many attractive prizes to be won in a lucky draw.
Come join us in this event and be our advocate! Registration will be opening soon.
Check out on MMHA website for announcement
Come join us in this event and be our advocates ! Recruitment drive will start soon.
19 Oct. 2008 at Dataran PJ
10 Oct. 2010 at Dataran PJ
7 Oct. 2012 : Tasek Permaisuri, Bdr. Tun Razak, Cheras
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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Aerobic warm-up!
Participants – all ages, all races!
Never too young to participate!
Creative Team Event
Gangnam dance, HELP Uni students
Akido Self-defence demo
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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PERSATUAN KESIHATAN MENTAL MALAYSIA
MALAYSIAN MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION
8, Jalan 4/33, off Jalan Othman, 46050 Petaling Jaya
Tel: 03-77825499 Fax: 03-77835432 e-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mmha.org.my
TO:
PRINTED MATTER
PLEASE SUPPORT US
The Malaysian Mental Health Association provides psychiatric rehabilitation service at our centre; conducts seminars and awareness programmes for the public and targeted population groups, as well as programmes for support group for clients and their families. For these, we depend on financial support from well wishers to ensure that our programmes can reach out to, and benefit, as
many people as possible.
What can you do to help make a difference?
We need financial contribution to help us maintain our rehabilitation, advocacy and public education activities. As such, we appeal
to you to support us by donating to the Malaysian Mental Health Association to help make a difference.
PAYMENT DETAILS (Tax exemption permit No. 8278)

I wish to make a one-time contribution of the following amount: RM_________________

Enclosed herewith cheque/Money Order No: ____________________________________

Pay direct to Malaysian Mental Health Association through our CIMB account No 1248-0012069057
DONOR DETAILS PLEASE USE CAPITAL LETTERS
Name : Mr/Ms/Madam___________________________________________________________________________________
Address :______________________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Town / City: _________________________State: _____________________________ Postcode:________________________
Tel No: ___________________________ Mobile No: __________________________ E-mail: _________________________
MMHA MENTAL HEALTH BULLETIN August 2014 2/ 2014
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