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FGDs on Mental Health - Coggle Diagram
FGDs on Mental Health
Professional group
Groups prone to mental health issues in Sarawak
Every age group is vulnerable to mental health issues with different types of problems
Adults who are in their productive years face different sets of social, physical and emotional challenges
Younger generation, adolescent in their formative years - exposed to multiple factors e.g. peer pressure, media influence, self perception that potentially become a threat to their mental well being. Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are mostly for younger age group since the diagnosis tend to be earlier.
For older group, dementia and Alzheimer are mostly mental health issues affecting them. for older group they go for alternative services (traditional healer).
Prevalence of mental health issues is deemed to be higher in urban areas but it is not true. This is due to data collection which concentrate more on urban hospitals with more mental health service
Factors Leading to Mental Health Issues
Emotional tension such as stress, anxiety, nervousness, anger, frustration
Life events, life experiences, trauma, feeling of abandoned or loneliness
Education system on Program Pendidikan Khas Integrasi dan Perdana
Underdiagnosed, undiagnosed
Social media
Poverty
Lack of manpower (psychiatrist, psychologist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, counsellors
Parenting issues
Academic pressures
Employment and salary
Work related, marital and family issues, life crisis
Detection of mental health
Early detection can be observed through changes of behaviour.
Not everyone is able to express their feeling and thoughts
Barriers in Help-seeking
Still bounded by their cultural practices and belief
Hearing voices, drastic mood changes, total withdrawal from family or social activities are believed to be signs of contact with the supernatural world.
Family members will resort to seeking help from traditional healer (bomoh, manang, medium) for treatment, instead of getting help from mental health providers.
Community stigmatization is still strong among people of Sarawak
Worried about the gossip and negative perception from their relatives, friends and neighbours.
Most will remain to hide or make the person’s mental health condition a secret
Suggestion to improve mental healthcare in Sarawak
More call center
Promotional activities about mental health services and call centers
Normalization of mental health issues should be emphasized to break the social stigma
Collaboration with federal and state ministries must be extensive
Improve in government policies so that mental health issues can be tackled holistically. E.g. To implement a Dual Diagnosis Clinic so that the patient or drug addict receive both treatment, mental health treatment and rehabilitation program.
Setting up Halfway Home for mental health patients who have recovered to re-integrate into the society
Overview
Limited access to mental health services in remote areas due to logistic issues
Lack of manpower
Poor mental health literacy, awareness
Culture of seeing traditional healer before seeking for health professional
Stigma and taboo
Scared to seek help
Ignore and pretend the problem doesn't exist
Alcohol is huge problem
Adolescents
Understanding about mental health issue
A condition that affect person’s mood, thinking and behaviour that include stress, depression, eating disorders and drug uses.
Important to ensure they can live a normal life, focus on their study and get employed in the near future.
Vulnerable groups
Adolescents group - due to discipline problems in schools, academic / family / peer pressures, mocked and harassed by peers, financial problem, dysfunctional family, relationship issues, and excessive gaming.
Factors contributing to mental health
Stress, social isolation, social media, genetics, environment hazards, debts, family dysfunctionality, and drugs / alcohol abuse.
Impact of Covid-19
Education activities due to internet inaccessibility. Young people from remote areas such as Long Latei, Long Beruang, Long Semadoh, Long Sukang and Kapit, whose education was disrupted had thought to discontinue their schooling.
Coping & Help-seeking
Coping: Indoor activities - sleeping, playing game, cooking, listening to music, dancing and etc. Outdoor activities - playing sport (futsal, football, volleyball), chatting and hanging out with friends.
Help seeking sources: Informal sources - friends, family members, religious person / traditional healer and social media. 2. Formal sources - school counsellors and doctors.
Types of support expected from others
Emotional support - empathy, love, trust, caring
Informational support - advice, suggestions, information
Instrumental support - tangible assistance or services
Barriers in Help-Seeking
Financial and transportation to clinics/ hospital
Stigma or community's negative mentality
Poor availability and accessibility
Suggestions
Regular campaigns that are fun - mental health talk series, mental health camps, specific programmes by Ministry of Youth (KBS).
Adults
Vulnerable group
.
Young age group – over thinking of their responsibilities ,as breadwinner of the family.
Factors affecting MH
Substance use (alcohol and drug use), sleep disturbance, unhealthy working environment, life imbalance, traumatic events, domestic violence, family pressure and social media, pandemic
Understanding about mental health issue
Not only being “crazy”, but associated with stress, hot tempered, worried, disorganized,depression and suicidal attempt
Coping
mechanism
Playing sports and spending time with friend
Participate in community engagement activities
Help-seeking
behaviour
Community leaders as a source of reference for mental health issue, going to hospital
Barriers in help-seeking
Inaccessibility to services
Embarassament / stigma,
Lack of knowledge in mental health and its treatment and prevention
Support system
Family and friends
Information system regarding mental health
Roles of spirituality
Spiritua complements other measures in preventing mental health issues/sustain good mental health.
Impact of Covid-19
Losing incomes and work
Logistic constraints.
Suggestion to improve MH
Establish community engagement in curbing mental health issue
Community leaders and religious leaders, peer support programmes
Regular outreach mental health programmes, extended to rural parts of Sarawak
Single mothers
Vulnerable group
Adolescent – vulnerable to outer influences such as drug addiction
Factors
affecting MH
Environmental influences, peer influence, and social media.
Coping mechanism
Spiritual belief
Sharing problems with family and friends
Understanding about MH issue
Mental health is shown when a person is “gila” with tattered clothes, dirty, muttering nonsense words, or they can be aggresiv
Help-seeking
behaviour
Doctors at local clinics
Priests at community churches
Traditional healers
Barriers in help seeking
Discrimination and stigmatization by community
Unawareness of service
Lack of support from family and friends.
Financial
Required support sytem
Family and friend
Community leaders being more aware
Local religious head
Assessibility to nearest counsellors and traditional healers
Impact of
Covid-19
Lost of daily income (farmers,local produce sellers and rubber tappers)
Depression, tension and stress
Suggestion to improve MH
Conduct campaigns and talk
Hands-on training to teach them how to apply for special funds
Community leaders
Understanding about mental health issue
Life style, economy status, dysfunctional family, poor self-care, addiction to social media, drug use, traditional belief.
Vulnerable group
Affe ct everyone, but young adults (20 to 40 years old are more prone – starting new career, new family, economy
Factors
Financial problem, dysfunctional family, poor self-care, addiction to social media, drug use.ctors
Genetic is no longer a factor in developing mental health issue
Coping mechanism
Spiritual, traditional medicine and health professional.
Help-seeking
behaviour
Community leaders to identify or be informed about members that may exerience mental health issues (e.g. wandering around) that need intervention (advise, support, referral to certain agencies).
Barries in help-seeking
Self-denial
Stigmatization
Transportation problem
Unable to handle those aggressive cases.
No counseling services in the community
Consequences
of untreated
Suicide, vandalism, public disturbance, family dysfunction, social isolation, school dropout
Required support system
Health professional, traditional healer, trained counsellor, religious leaders and community leaders
Roles of spirituality
Prayers are helpful in dealing with mental health issues
Religious people can provide counseling or offer prayers.
Impact of
Covid-19
Fear of infection, lost their jobs, unable to meet family members, restricted communication and interaction.
Suggestions
Provide health services
Train religious leaders / JKKK with basic helping skills
Organize talk/seminar/exhibition on mental health