THE central cities of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya are home to the most number of people suffering from depression and anxiety in Malaysia, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa told parliament today.

She said this was shown in a survey of 336,900 people the ministry conducted last year.

“From the survey, we found that Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya have with the highest number of people suffering from depression and anxiety ,” the Sekijang lawmaker said during question time.

 Zaliha said financial and relationship problems were the main factors for the high rate of mental distress in two cities.

 “The cost of living in the city is quite high, while the number of B40 people and the urban poor are also high in this region.

 “There are relationship problems, for example, parental pressures, relationships with peers and even relationships with partners. 

 “These are the reasons why people in the region suffer from depression and anxiety.”

Zaliha was responding to Mohd Sany Hamzan (Hulu Langat-PH), who asked the health minister to name the state or territory with the highest number of people with mental health problems.

She said about 70% of the people surveyed in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya have depression and anxiety issues.

Johor had the next highest number of people with mental health issues at 44%, followed by Labuan (33%), Sabah (23%), Negri Sembilan (18%), Perlis (16%), Selangor (15%), Malacca (15%), Pehang (13%), Perak (12%), Penang (9%), Sarawak (8%), Kedah (6%), Terengganu (3%) and Kelantan (1%). 

Of the 336,906 people surveyed, 24,149 of them had symptoms of depression while 32,759 of them had anxiety symptoms. 

Zaliha said the Health Ministry has taken measures to overcome mental health problems experienced by the community.

Zaliha said most of the mental health problems faced by young people are caused by social factors such as financial problems, relationship problems, bullying, risky behaviour, substance abuse, low self-esteem and high expectations of themselves.

To address mental health problems among young people, Zaliha said the ministry offers mental healthcare in 1,161 clinics, 58 hospitals, 34 community mental health centres and four mental institutions.

Zaliha said the school healthy mind programme was implemented in collaboration with the Education Ministry.

“Students who are screened and identified as having emotional or behavioural problems will be referred to the programme for further evaluation and treatment,” she said. 

Zaliha said the Health Ministry is working with the Education Ministry to implement the PEARL programme to improve coping skills among students who are bullied. Health authorities are also working with the Higher Education Ministry to implement Healthy Student Programme in public and private universities for mental health screening and intervention. – March 8, 2023.