Conclusion of Brainstorming Session

Reason 1 - Why is it important to know and give a solution to the community and society?

1. Poor mental health may lead to mental illness.

2. Increase in the number of suicide cases.

3. The pandemic may not end soon.

4. Severe depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc. might affect our wellbeing and the people around us, our family for instance.

5. We need to make people to aware that toxicity in some family is real and we need to help those people. Give them counselling services for example.

6. Some aspect in the house such as financial, because of the pandemic, some family are struggling and this may lead to depression among the poor parents.

7. There’s most likely going to be an upsurge in anxiety disorders, PTSD disorders and aversive social effects due to isolation.

8. People struggling with their mental health might develop an unhealthy coping mechanism.

9. Some people who needs mental health services got halt because of pandemic as they can't go to the hospital. They may have opted for teletherapy but it won't be the same as face to face appointment.

10. Health care workers on the front line are at risk of developing psychological distress while handling patients with COVID-19. It’s important to acknowledge this and give a solution as their mental well-being will affect their work performance.

11. Fear and anxiety towards COVID-19 could potentially be overwhelming and hence heighten the mental stress towards oneself and society.

Reason 2 - What is the implication if these issues never solve?

1. Mental illness makes it difficult to cope with the demands of daily life. The longer mental illness is left untreated, the more likely it is to interfere with someone’s ability to do their job and effectively interact with others. This can lead to financial troubles, job loss, and potentially even homelessness.

2. Over the long run, leaving any mental health disorder untreated will most likely result in the disorder worsening.

3. A person who has a mental health disorder might develop a long-term physical issue if goes untreated. For instance, long-term anxiety and panic attacks can cause your brain to release stress hormones on a regular basis. This can increase the frequency of symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and depression. Anxiety and constant worry can also lead to chronic digestion and excretory problems such as stomach pains, excessing bloating or abdominal cramping, diarrhoea, irritable bowel syndrome and vomiting. Heart palpitations and rapid breathing patterns are also commonly experienced during anxiety, the persistent rush of stress response hormones at persistent, high levels of anxiety may results in an increase in heart rate, blood pressure, and breathing rate.

Reason 3 - Provide statistical data or credible report to support the issues

1. According to news reports, two out of five Malaysians, or 44% – almost half – of the population, have had their mental health affected by the pandemic. Of that percentage, 7% reported feeling down all the time while 37% felt down some of the time.

2. Global statistics have shown an increase in cases of psychological stress, depression, anxiety, acts of self-harm and domestic violence during this period. In addition, a World Health Organization (WHO) study involving 130 countries also reported that more than 60 per cent of psychiatric and mental health services were directly affected.

3. Mental health is among the new issues that were studied amongst the B40 community, with almost one in five heads of households (HoH) and roughly one in three female-headed households reporting feeling depressed. They expressed feeling fear, worry, anxiety, anger and stress about uncertain economic and financial conditions, as well as the well-being of their children and their parents. Of course, financial concerns make matters worse. The study showed that 42% of HoH and 51% of female HoH are stressed about not having enough money to buy food for their children and their children’s education. Meanwhile, some household members are experiencing new negative behavioural changes, which were previously not observed in them. Most of the 25% of them reported experiencing higher depression symptoms and increased tensions in the family, and not so much alcohol drinking and cigarette use.

4. In Malaysia, the National Health and Morbidity Survey (2019) noted that the national prevalence of depression among Malaysian adults is at 2.3 per cent, which accounts for roughly half a million individuals. Incidences of depression have also been exacerbated by the pandemic, with the government psychosocial hotline receiving close to 12,000 calls and counting since the outbreak.