Went glamping with the church group during the Merdeka holiday, it was lovely!

Though I'm physically exhausted (we stayed up until 4 for board games haha) and more so have depleted my social quota by the end of the trip, it was a really nice experience!

One of the little joys of going back home to vote - it's like a mini reunion, ha!

Also just discovered one of my former classmates was standing for election. Won by a large margin too. Never expected that, wasn't the best student in school, ha! But really glad for them, looking up some news and they seemed to be doing quite some work in their area.

Force is a very strong word, haha. But treatment (including assessment, psychotherapy and counselling, medication if needed, and further psychosocial support plans) instead of punishment is the way to go.

Admittedly, treatment is already part of the response process for attempted suicide cases currently, in particular the government healthcare facilities have their SOP in handling attempted suicide patients that includes medical and psychiatric treatment, so it's not like the people don't get help at all. But the problem was that there is also a legal process that also has to go through - and that was the main issue (in addition to other issues). This particular article cited a study that showed often the "legal processes taking precedence over mental health care for suicide survivors, which can 'significantly delay treatment."' By removing this legal block, the idea is that treatment and rehabilitation can be the focus for post suicide attempt care.

But indeed, the post suicide attempt response treatment plan should be more specific - and inclusive - namely putting more emphasise on counselling and psychotherapy (which comes back to your question), especially if we're talking about government policies. But for that to happen we're looking at significant development in the mental healthcare system and policies. The current public mental healthcare system is, sadly, not the most adequate and balanced, that even if the government has plans to make it an official policy to have people with suicide attempts record/people with suicide risks to undergo counselling, I'm afraid that it might not be as how we hoped it would be. For one, the healthcare system is currently more geared towards medical healthcare than mental healthcare, so a suicidal person is more likely to be referred to a medical doctor (including GPs and psychiatrists) than to a mental health specialist (counsellors and clinical psychologists). But for suicide and mental health cases, specialised mental health services (counselling, assessment, therapy etc.) are often more crucial than medical services (medication). At the same time, we also have the issue of a shortage of mental health specialists (counsellors and psychologists) in the government healthcare system.

So back to your question - helping suicidal persons (with proper mental healthcare, including counselling/psychotherapy, medical treatment, and psychosocial support plans) instead of punishing them should be a no-brainer indeed. And now that we have already taken the step forward in decriminalising suicide, we have to see what comes after.

I think many are aware now, but it was indeed a widely held misconception that Raya is the New Year among the Chinese. In fact, even till now Raya is sometimes referred as Malay New Year (the literal translation of 馬來新年) in the Chinese speaking community, though not officially, but common enough to keep the misconception alive.

One of the reasons might be that for the Chinese people, the New Year (Spring Festival) is generally the most important - thus most greatly celebrated - occasion in a year. And as we observe how Raya is celebrated, especially in relative to other occasions, it's perhaps not too surprising that we assume the same it is for the Malay/Muslim as well.

Indeed some Chinese have the same misconception about Deepavali with the Hindus.

And I think in general we're doing better now, including in education - sad to say, but I don't remember my teachers (in SMJK) bothered to teach or clarify this with us when we're growing up (another reason the misunderstanding was rife) . But I think many Chinese are more respectful in this regard today.

Thanks! Yeah it's so interesting isn't it? I love these kind of stories too haha. I first heard about the story from a friend, but did went on to look for more information and compiled the information I could find, and came up with this post.

Hi I can see that you have some concerns about mental health disorders and diagnosis, just to share some insights on this!

For the diagnosis of mental health disorders, it can be quite a delicate process. Some people may think that the diagnosis for a mental disorder is a pretty straightforward process - like the doctors have a standard list of symptoms for a specific mental disorder, and if a person shows or experiences a certain number of symptoms on the list, the doctor will confirm that the person is having that particular mental disorder, and diagnose them with "(name) disorder". But this is not how the diagnosis process goes.

(So taking this opportunity to make a PSA against self-diagnosis - many people hear or learn about the different symptoms for a certain mental disorder, and they may find themselves thinking "oh I also experience these symptoms!" and thus convinced that they are having that particular disorder or condition. This is not a healthy thing to do - if you suspect of having certain mental health condition, please talk to a qualified mental health practitioner.)

In reality, the process of diagnosis is a more holistic one. While checking for symptoms is part of the process, the psychiatrist or clinical psychologist (the only specialists who can make diagnosis) has to be very careful in applying the symptoms - including to check if the exhibited symptoms may be related/attributed to other physical or mental illnesses, as well as to examine the context such as if the patient has recently experienced any significant life events that may cause these symptoms, the patient's and the family's medical history, the family and life background, and other factors - before deciding on a diagnosis. Some different disorders have very similar symptoms but vastly different diagnostic criteria, and the specialists have to be very careful in considering and eliminating different possible diagnoses. That is why you may seem to fit the criteria for certain diagnosis, but the doctor gave you a different one that you have in mind. Often the specialists would also want to observe the patient for a certain period of time, to see if there are any changes in the experienced symptoms, before making a diagnosis. So it takes time.

In addition to that, there is also this thing called "comorbidity" within mental disorders - where a person may experience two or more distinct psychological disorders at the same time, and the specialists have to be very careful in making sure all the different disorders are addressed.

On the issue of meds - it's not uncommon to see doctors trying different presriptions (including different kinds of meds and also the dosage) to see what works best. We see it in all kinds of medical situations from common flu to cancer, not a practice unique to psychological disorders, can certainly not a suspicious or shaddy medical practice. Because the drugs may work differently for different people, so even for a specific diagnosis, the doctor may try different meds to find out what is the best for the patient. What the doctors are not doing - in Wee's case and in general - is using different drugs to confirm diagnosis.

Hopefully this helps you to clarify the diagnosis process for mental disorders.

I can see that you're concern with the doctors giving you a different diagnosis that you have in mind, and I hope the above information helped you to see how could this be possible. I certainly would encourage you to talk to your doctor if this is a main concern for you, you may indeed ask them "how is it that you decided on depression and anxiety for my diagnosis, and not ADHD?", and see if they can help you to understand more about your condition, and perhaps to work towards a better treatment plan.

All the best!

The Christians and early missionaries had indeed played a major role in public education in Malaysia, and some of the most prestigious public schools today were set up or in one way or another linked to the early Christians' works in the country. So putting religion aside, even just for sentimental reasons, it is actually quite a sad thing to see the decline or closure of mission schools today.

But fairly, this is not, or not only, at least, a fault of the government and the authorities. The past and current Christian counterparts would have to bear an equal responsibility in this decline. What people might not know is, the Church (in this case which I am personally informed, the Methodist Church in Malaysia - can't comment on other Christian denominations) does actually have a voice within the Federal Government in the matter of the public mission schools linked to the Methodist Church, e.g. MBS/MGS, ACS. And for many years, even in the days of previous leaders, the Church was given the right to nominate their own candidates for the role of the Principal in the schools. But few Christians would take up the responsibility, hence leaving the mission schools at the government's mercy in appointing whoever they want to the leadership positions - and as a result, the "Christian" identity (and influence) of the schools diminishes fast. And today, the Methodist Church is dipping their toe in private education institutes themselves and it'll be no surprise if the effort to hold on to the public schools is even lower of a priority for the Church.

And in certain Christian circles, due to one factor or another, fewer and fewer parents are inclined to send their child to public schools (missionary schools or otherwise), which while completely understandble and justified, it is for me personally quite a sad thing to see - that as Christian ourselves are not as concerned with asserting our positive influence and with contributing to the community than our forefathers were.

These little things that carry a great lot of love!

Haha, I get what you mean, just that we usually don't use the word "force" (as the other friend pointed out, mandatory might be more apt here) because of the more negative connotation, but yeah.

And you did raise some good perspective too, including the perception of some people towards mental health treatment like therapy. Having a structure/system where we expose a person to mental health treatment (therapy), even if just for running a formal procedure, might be, in logic, better than not giving people the opportunity to get any help at all, but that also raises some questions, not just practical, but a lot of ethical ones as well.

Definitely as a MHP I'm inclined to agree with including counselling and therapy (mandatory or otherwise) in the treatment for people with suicidal risks or record. But was also sharing (a bit lamenting, ha) about the shortcomings of the current healthcare system in implementing the policies.

Can't say there is an ideal solution to that - but indeed some form of help is needed, and if it's structured as a standard policy, it's certainly for the better.

That’d be quite interesting! To have a place to share/promote good events around.

Sorry to hear about your week, hope you're holding up. Though talking about it with someone might be helpful indeed. Would however suggest that you might want to see a therapist/counsellor instead of a psychiatrist (unless you have been seeing one, or are looking for medical help), as they might be more suited to what you may need in dealing with the stress and difficult experiences. We've also copied the mental health wiki over here to c/care if you're looking for information on this. Wishing you the best!

Hey, some good news! Doulos Hope will be extending their stay in Penang for another 2 weeks, and the booking has just opened, so should have quite some slots still.

Haha, I must say it's quite eye opening for me to see how different the culture is!

Interestingly, I've been reading the book "Quiet" by Susan Cain recently, and I do find her explanation on how traits like "team player" and communication/collaboration became so engrained in the corporate world - even in jobs and settings where such social interactions aren't essential - quite plausible. She calls this as an obsession with the "extraversion ideal", and how this could become a problem in the working world.

I see, sorry to hear that too! (But it's not a problem - this kind of situation with therapy can happen.) Just wishing you that you'll find some support and help you need (in professional service or otherwise) soon!

10 minutes! How bad can they be?! Anyway, hopefully you still manage to get on with your appointment.

For my former classmate's case it's less about academic results - we're from a quite a reputable high school after all - but more on that they were not the best behaving student in class. Though nothing bad and more of middle-schooler antics, but I remember them as quite a mischievous person, loud, and always ready for a prank. But I guess that was a way of them showcasing their leadership quality even back then.

But still it's indeed a good encouragement for young people to not base their self-value on results, also to be less anxious about their future directions, but that they'll also find their strengths and passion one day.

Perhaps a more exciting news to the professional community than to the general public, ha. But how it turns out will certainly have a direct impact on the general public, hopefully significantly positive ones in terms of better accessibility and quality of MH services.

What I'm personally interested and looking forward in particular is the emphasis on coordination and collaboration between the public and private + civil/community sector. Was very supportive of this when first raised by KJ in the previous government - hopefully this is a continuation of this initiative.

Professionally, I'm hoping for clearer and wider recognition of the counselling and psychotherapy services (non-medical) by the public health authority. Specifically, for one, for MOH to recognise referrals by licensed counsellors and clinical psychotherapists. (Right now the government hospitals only recognise referrals by medical practitioners/GPs for someone to receive treatment by specialists/psychiatrists. But in reality, counsellors and psychologists do in fact receive proper and adequate training in detecting and assessing clinical mental health conditions, and would be more than qualified to make professional judgement in making referrals for one to receive specialist/medical treatments).

Coversely, to encourage and provide a clear guidelines for psychiatrists to refer patients for psychotherapy services - especially in closer collaboration between the public and private/civil sectors. For one, psychiatrists rarely refer patients out to counsellors and psychologists to receive psychotherapy, together with or in lieu of medical treatment. But almost all mental health patients would benefit from some form of non-medical mental help, which ends up with the psychiatrists having to take up the responsibility of providing psychosocial support for the patients - which is not ideal. While I have no doubt a psychiatrist would be able to perform some rudiment form of therapy, their professional training is just not in such, compared with a counsellor or clinical psychotherapist whose core professional training is in psychotherapy, and hence a psychiatrist is not expected to be competent in handling the psychotherapy aspect of mental health treatment. Secondly, with an unbalanced ratio of psychiatrist to psychotherapist in the public healthcare service (not enough of clinical psychologists and counsellors in most healthcare facilities), most patients would miss out on the opportunity to receive a more comprehensive mental healthcare. So the aspect of collaboration is quite essential in the government's initiative - and something I'm mostly looking forward to.

Glad you enjoyed the story and learned something interesting!

My reading now is also almost entirely on my iPad (mini ftw), because the books I read have always been harder to find in local bookstores so it has always been easier for me to get my books in digital copies. Haven't been to a bookstore in quite some time as well.

But bookstores will always have a special place in my heart - I'm quite sentimental about reading hardcopy books - just browsing in a bookstore, and the excitement in discovering something interesting to read, that's quite a joyful experience. (I mean, scrolling through webpages on the internet for something to read is just not quite that, haha!) And to reminisce how in my college days I and my sister would just hang around in MPH (rip) at Mid Valley, while our friends went for a movie or shopping - that was such a great time.

(Also, the stationery section of the bookstores - I just can't resist looking at and playing with the pretty things, then picking something to bring home, hahaha!)

But yeah probably will be sticking to ebooks at the moment - the main reason above aside, it's just so convenient. And I do feel like I read more and faster on the iPad. Perhaps one day I shall visit a bookstore, find a gem, and again immerse myself in a delightful experience of reading a physical book.