Jointly reported by:
How Yu En Sr1ScC
Goh Yu Xin Sr1ScD
Goh Zhi Xin Sr2ScA
On 6th June 2022, Kuen Cheng High School Psychology Club organised a talk regarding mental health, jointly by Dr. Chong Shue-Ling and Mr. Tan Zong Yan. Purpose of holding the talk was to raise students’ awareness of depression, to prevent discrimination and also to nourish better mental quality since prevention should start from understanding the topic.
Mr. Tan started the session with some questions as the icebreaker. From these questions, we know that not all who are mentally ill are violent. These patients face difficulties in handling their emotions, so they might use violence instead. However, we should know that these patients are victims, and they can’t control their behaviour. Some TV programmes or movies picture patients with mental illness as monsters, which leads to misunderstandings.
More so, we know that these mental illnesses aren’t permanent, most of them can be cured as long as cooperation is given. Major depressive disorder is the most common mental disorder faced by mankind. To the extent that 2.3% of Malaysian adults are at risk of being diagnosed with depression.
Dr. Chong started her talk regarding health issues faced by teenagers nowadays. In 2019, over 1.5 million teenagers died due to mental disorders. Having depression is one of the main reasons why teenagers nowadays commit suicide.
A major issue that many countries face is excessive drinking at too early an age, as it reduces self-control and causes dangerous behaviours of these teenagers. Cannabis, also known as Marijuana or “Mary Jane”, is a psychoactive drug that is widely used even by teenagers. In 2018, approximately 4.7% of teenagers of ages 15 and 16 had used it at least once. Drug misuse at an early age is highly risky, which will result in reliance on drugs during adulthood.
The environment created by supportive families, school authorities and our society is important for the mental growth of teenagers. Based on their living conditions, stigmatisation, discrimination, and exclusion teens nowadays face, or the lack of quality support and service, they face higher risks of being diagnosed with mental disorders.
Mental disorders among teenagers are often caused by excessive pressure they face in daily life. These pressures come from different aspects. Some teens suffer from overloading pressure, if mishandled it may cause anxiety or aggressive behaviour. Helping teenagers nourish ways of enhancing their stress management abilities and providing them with options on ways to face the pressure they’re dealing with might decrease their despondency.
According to Dr. Chong, there are several ways to reduce stress, involving regular workouts and diets, self-confidence development, avoiding excessive intake of caffeine, etc. Developing emotional intelligence at a young age, and providing youths with psychological support, help in improving their mental health.
Next, Mr Tan talked about how to identify mental health problems. According to Mr Tan, we can identify them by observing symptoms as shown below in terms of emotions, thinking and behaviour.
He proceeded and told us about what we could do if the people around us are facing mental health problems by using the C.A.R.E. method. C stands for care and concerns are expressed. We should express our care for them. A, which stands for attentively listening, means that we should listen to their troubles. R for risk review and management, and E for ensuring of seeking professional help, which means we should seek help from the professionals.
Mr Tan also talked about the differences between registered counselling services from counsellors, psychiatrists and clinical psychologists. He also provided some hotlines for those who want to seek help.
A student asked how we can know if the individual is just feeling down or is actually facing depression. Mr Tan answered that we can differentiate them by observing the period of time they are feeling down. If the person is down for more than 2 weeks, there is a possibility of depression, but self-diagnosis is not encouraged. Instead, we should let adults know and seek help from professionals.
As for online tests for mental health, some of the websites are not reliable, but Mr Tan shared a reliable website, hoping it can help the students who are facing mental health problems. The talk ended after taking a group photo.