PARLIAMENT | Various mental health programmes have been implemented in all health clinics nationwide through integration to detect mental problems among society, said Health Minister Dr S Subramaniam.

He said the programmes covered promotional activities via screening to detect the early stages of stress, anxiety and depression among individuals who were at risk of mental health problems.

“The ministry is concerned about the mental problem issues in the country. According to research (conducted) in 2015, about 29.2 percent of Malaysians aged 16 and above are having mental problems.

“However this percentage refers to those who are having mental problems and not mental illnesses. There is a difference between mental problems and mental illnesses,” he noted at the Dewan Rakyat sitting today.

He said this in reply to a question from Zuraida Kamaruddin (PKR-Ampang), who asked about the ministry's plan to overcome mental health problems, which is the second top health problem in Malaysia.

Subramaniam said the ministry had also implemented various programmes to improve stress management skills in order to prevent mental illnesses among the community through skills training and community empowerment activities.

He said the ministry had also cooperated with the Education Ministry to conduct the "Healthy Mind" programme among Form Four students in all 2,343 schools nationwide.

The programme aimed to identify students’ health status, besides their stress and depression levels in order to get counselling services and further treatment, if neccesary.

- Bernama