Depressive issue
Pix for representational purpose only.
PETALING JAYA: Next to cardiovascular diseases, mental illness is likely to be the biggest problem affecting Malaysians.
The prognosis is disturbing, to say the least. The Covid-19 pandemic is triggering mental health conditions and exacerbating existing ones across the world, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).
Experts have predicted an upsurge in anxiety disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorders and aversive social effects of isolation.
Addressing the problem itself is a challenge in Malaysia, as it is elsewhere. There are the issues of accessibility and affordability – factors that, by themselves, could cause enough stress to trigger mental problems.