Malaysia to tackle rise in mental illness

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, Jan. 18 (Xinhua) -- Efforts to promote mental health and stress management will be stepped up in Malaysia, including schools, to deal with the rising trend of mental illness.
Malaysian Health Minister Liow Tiong Lai told reporters in Malaysia's federal administration center Putrajaya on Tuesday that the increase in the number of individuals with mental illness was worrying.
The increase also confirmed the forecast of the World Health Organization (WHO), which said that the illness was expected to increase at the rate of 15 percent by 2020, said the minister.
To better deal with the problem, Liow said four high schools in different Malaysian states had been selected to undergo a six- month pilot project on stress management.
Similar programs would be extended to secondary schools nationwide once green light was obtained from Malaysian Education Ministry, added Liow.
Under the pilot project, teachers and counselors from the schools will be given relevant training, after which they will be able to assess if a student suffers from stress or depression.
This would ensure that timely treatment could be given to the individuals, said Liow,
According to the ministry, the number of mental illness cases rose by 15.6 percent to 400,227 in 2010 from 2009.
Liow warned that by 2020, depression, which is one of mental disorders, was expected to be the second highest illness after cardiac ischemia.

Editor: Deng Shasha