Azrul Khalib, chief executive officer of the Galen Centre for Health and Social Policy, said the plan was needed to address persistent mental health issues faced by young people.
“According to the ministry’s 2019 National Health Mobility Survey, about 424,000 children in Malaysia suffer from mental health issues. Many children do not come forward to seek help.
“The same study indicated that one in eight adolescents aged 10-19, and one in 20 children aged five to nine are estimated to have mental health problems.
“Suicide was the second leading cause of death among adolescents aged 15 to 19,” he told FMT.
Azrul called for youth engagement in the planning, development and implementation of the action plan.
“One indication that the current plan seems to not involve the youth is the use of the MySejahtera app.
“No young person in Malaysia sees any relevance in this app. You need to go to them (youth) and not expect them to go to you,” he told FMT.
The MySejahtera app includes a module known as “MyMinda” which allows users to check their mental health status by answering a set of questions. It also gives them access to psycho-educational materials and psycho-social support services.
President of the Malaysian Mental Health Association, Andrew Mohanraj, described the action plan as a positive step forward.
He suggested that the plan examine various aspects affecting mental health such as social media, the threat of substance abuse, academic challenges, relationships and family support.
“It must also have a multisectoral approach involving education and social welfare agencies.
“For far too long, mental health has been seen as a medical issue. Clearly it has social determinants that need to be addressed with the health ministry taking the lead,” he told FMT.
On Oct 22, the health ministry announced that it will develop a mental health action plan for children and teenagers in view of the increase in mental health cases in these age groups.
Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the increase in mental health problems among the youth is a worrying trend because they are the future leaders of the country.