Psychological scars from long Covid
Monday, 06 June 2022, 1:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj For some of us who have recovered from Covid-19 and are still experiencing some symptoms, we could have what is known as post-Covid or long Covid. According to Dr Janet Diaz, the World Health Organization’s Head of Clinical Management, this emerging illness […]
When your mental health suffers from vicarious trauma
Tuesday, 05 Apr 2022, 1:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj For many of us, it may be hard to look the other way from news of the conflict in Ukraine now, despite being thousands of miles away from the scene. Some of us may know of Malaysians having to terminate their studies […]
Scammers use these psychological methods to influence you
Tuesday, 08 Mar 2022, 1:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj “Civil servant loses over RM700k in a scam” read the heading of a news article (The Star, March 1, 2022) last week. Many, reading such stories, perhaps just raise their eyebrows and shake their heads, wondering how people can be so gullible. […]
I am addicted to substances for a reason
Tuesday, 08 Feb 2022, 8:00 AM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj Several weeks ago, an incident involving a youth with a substance addiction problem being punished by the local community, was widely shared on social media. It was reported that the youth was apprehended for theft. In response to the unusual retaliation by […]
Dealing with the psychological trauma of disasters
Monday, 03 Jan 2022, 1:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj Disasters are a complex global problem and an inevitable fact of life. Every year, individuals and communities are affected by natural disasters that disrupt their economic and social development, as well as jeopardise their mental health and wellbeing. The recent floods in […]
Reassuring our students that we’ve got this
Monday, 06 Dec 2021, 1:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj It was mentioned in Parliament on Nov 22 (2021) that among 100,000 primary school pupils screened nationwide, 12.5% of the Year 5 and Year 6 students were found to be at risk of developing depression, anxiety and stress. These figures should make us sit […]
Wins for mental health in the month of October
Monday, 08 Nov 2021, 1:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj There were lots of interesting things happening in the area of mental health last month (October 2021), the highlight of which was the World Mental Health Day that falls on Oct 10 each year. There was excitement galore with a variety of […]
Keeping the conversation going on mental health
Tuesday, 5 October 2021 01:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj Recently, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob said that the Attorney-General’s Chambers is examining the legal options and implications of removing attempted suicide as a criminal offence. This is an indication that Parliament may consider reviewing Section 309 of the Penal […]
Covid-19 has triggered a mental health crisis and we need to deal with it now
Tuesday, 07 Sep 2021, 1:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Andrew Mohanraj In the last two decades, several pandemics worldwide have yielded insights on the mental health impact of such events. However, the current Covid-19 pandemic has been somewhat less predictable. In addition to the sudden psychological decompensation (reflected by the increase in number […]
Finding ways to adjust to uncertain times
Monday, 02 August 2021 01:00 PM MYT By Prof. Dato’ Dr Andrew Mohanraj Judging from the calls received by helplines in the country during the past year, there has been a significant increase in cases of anxiety, depression and substance abuse. Malaysians were also shocked at the sudden recent spike in the number of suicide […]