#mental health malaysia
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"When Ghana’s parliament voted to decriminalise suicide and attempted suicide in March, Prof Joseph Osafo felt a weight lift from his shoulders.
Osafo, head of psychology at the University of Ghana, had been engaged in a near 20-year battle to abolish the law – brought in by the British – which stated that anyone who attempts suicide should face imprisonment or a fine.
“It was a very good feeling. I felt like a certain burden had been removed. I was extremely elated,” he remembers. “Then the next morning, I realised we had a lot of work to do.”
Four countries decriminalised suicide in just the past year
Ghana is one of four countries to have decriminalised suicide in the past year – Malaysia, Guyana and Pakistan are the others. More could soon follow, which campaigners say is a sign of greater awareness and understanding of mental health. Kenya and Uganda have filed petitions to overturn laws and members of the UN group of Small Island Developing States have committed to decriminalise. Discussions are also being held in Nigeria and Bangladesh.
“There seems to be a domino effect taking place,” says Muhammad Ali Hasnain, a barrister from United for Global Mental Health, a group calling for decriminalisation. “As one country decriminalises suicide, others start to follow suit.”
“It is quite unusual,” adds Sarah Kline, the organisation’s chief executive. “It’s a huge sign of progress and an important step forward for the populations most at risk, as well as the countries as a whole.” ...
A large number of laws were introduced by the British during colonial rule. Suicide was decriminalised in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in the 1960s – it was never criminalised in Scotland...
The results of these punishments can be “devastating” and present “a huge barrier” to addressing the problem, says Natalie Drew, a technical officer with the mental health policy and service development team at the World Health Organization. Health experts and advocates argue that suicide should be treated as a public health issue rather than a crime.
Criminalising suicide denies people the right to access health services and discriminates against them because of something they’re experiencing, Drew adds. Research shows that in countries where suicide has been decriminalised, people can seek help for mental health and rates tend to then decline.
Next Steps
In September, the WHO is due to release a guide on decriminalising suicide for policymakers, with explanations of how countries have managed it...
“[Ghana’s decision] should have an impact on the work ongoing in other countries, especially in the Africa region,” says Osafo. Within the past couple of months, he has set up a mental health working group with representatives from about 20 African countries, and one of the biggest issues on the agenda is decriminalisation of suicide, he says. “Nigeria is active, Cameroon is active … Kenya has joined and is doing fantastic work. We have Uganda. People have been asking us how we did it.”
Since suicide was decriminalised in Malaysia last month, Anita Abu Bakar, founder and president of the Mental Illness Awareness and Support Association (Miasa), has already seen things change. Crisis response teams and helplines are expanding, and money from the mental health budget is being given to organisations who work in the community. “This is the shift we’re so happy to see,” she says. “It was such an archaic law.”
She adds: “I’m a person with lived experience. What does decriminalisation mean to people like me? We feel supported, we feel this conversation can go to a different level. Obviously decriminalisation is not the only way to prevent suicide, but it’s a big one. I’m happy for this progressive move – better late than never. I’m excited to see what happens next, not just for Malaysia but for the rest of us.”"
-via The Guardian, July 20, 2023
#cw suicide#cw sui mention#ghana#malaysia#guyana#pakistan#nigeria#kenya#uganda#cameroon#mental health#mental illness#healthcare access#decriminalization#england#colonialism#good news#cw sui attempt#suicide
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in the last 6 weeks i've lost my dog of nearly 16 years and my uncle who i was close with and who financially supported me for years & now it's looking like i'm going to lose my grandfather who raised me and for all intents and purposes has been my father figure my entire life and my best (and when i was growing up he was often my only) friend. it feels like my entire world is ending and i'm not getting the chance to even process anything it's just happening over and over and over. it's also the 3 year anniversary of my stepdad dying, 7 year anniversary of my other uncle dying, the 9 year anniversary of my grandmother dying, and 16 year anniversary of my other grandmother/my "other" mother who raised me dying on my 10th birthday. the only person left in my immediate family is my mother and i have no siblings and no cousins on one side of my family. i can't even begin to articulate how i'm feeling and i don't think anyone i know would really understand either
#and i cant afford to live in canada anymore so i have to move back to malaysia at some point next year#and because of all this happening i had a mental breakdown and dropped out of university for the 3rd time#no degree no job cant work because of chronic health issues and ptsd from all of the above
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'The Weight of Our Sky'- Alkaf, Hanna
Disability Rep: Anxiety (MC), OCD (MC)
Genre: Historical Fiction
Age: Young Adult
Setting: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; 1969
Additional Rep: Muslim Malay Female MC, Chinese Male Major SC, Asian SCs
For more information on summaries, content warnings and additional tropes, see here:
#books#disability books#disability representation#disability#disabled characters#fiction#historical fiction#neurodivergence#mental health#anxiety#ocd#muslim mc#asian characters#malaysia#link
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A peaceful morning waiting for my parcel to go on delivery. These lately tend to arrive in the middle of lunch hour. Earlier, some altercations in mindspace, as forces of good try to corral the evil created by mishandling and misunderstanding the situation. It’s no one party’s fault. Like they say in the marines, “just suck it up”.
I am starting anew trying to write my first novel, for young adults, codenamed BaH. All previous attempts had failed after just a few days. This one must be the golden idea I need.
As usual, I ran and worked out, pre dawn. Now I have to adhere to a healthier diet as well. I have a blood test late this month on the folks’ orders. Using me to hide their innards in worries them no end. Even so, they still get payback.
So it may be a year or so before Najib is released from Kajang prison, on good behavior. A good compromise from the Agong and PM. He’s a lucky man, a survivor and maybe he will do Malaysia proud one day soon.
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I need a break from my brain
From the doubt, from the stress, from the pain
This anxiety is killing me and keeping me awake
I need a break from my temper
It's exhausting to live with the anger
It weighs me down and it holds me back
And it ties me to an anchor
Take me away
'Cause I'm not okay
I'm stuck at the bottom
In a prison of problems
That I can't escape
So take me away
#lifestyle#blogger#my life#lifestyleblogger#malaysia#food#foodgasm#foodporn#healthy food#food photography#lifehacks#mental health#positive mental attitude#real life#life quotes#life
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Book Review - The Weight of Our Sky (🇲🇾 Malaysia)
[image 1: book cover; image 2: map of Malaysia; image 3: aftermath of riots, Kuala Lumpur, 1969 source: Getty]
YA World Challenge book for 🇲🇾 Malaysia
The Weight of our Sky
Author: Hanna Alkaf
A Malay girl searches for her mother while battling OCD, finding help from a Chinese family in the middle of violent and tragic race riots in 1969 Kuala Lumpur.
Review
This book was amazing and kept me on the edge of my seat to the end. I felt that the author’s depiction of Melati’s OCD “djinn” was very real and excellently done. At times during the book I could really feel her anxiety myself. The writing is gripping and really pulls you in. Melati’s OCD is numbers, counting, and imagining her mother’s death. People with anxiety or OCD might find the descriptiveness of her condition triggering - it is very much there the whole book.
Melati, despite being Malay, is rescued by a Chinese woman when riots break out following an election and Chinese and Malays starting murdering each other in the streets. She finds refuge in the Chinese family’s home, guilty over leaving her friend behind and anxious to find her mother. She finds a friendship with Vincent, one of the two sons of the family, who helps her plans to look for her mother.
One thing about this book is that it does not favor one ‘side’, but rather shows the complexity of prejudice and the shortsightedness and error of those both Chinese & Malay (and the Indians caught between). It shows how people, even family we love like Vincent’s brother, can get caught up in their hate when we follow the mob, a truth that is still very relevant today. But it’s also about a girl caught up in an unfortunate event and finding the strength to conquer her inner demons.
I appreciated this book for a look at a piece of history I had never heard of, along with some in-depth characters and fast-paced story.
Other reps: #mental health (OCD) #no romance
Genres: #historical, 20th century
★ ★ ★ ★ ★ 5 stars
Read it at: Bookshop.org | Scribd | Amazon
#book review#malaysia#ya world challenge#ya books#the weight of our sky#hanna alkaf#historical fiction#diverse books#historical 20th century#disaster#mental health#ocd#no romance#southeast asia#asia
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why do malaysians just not care about mental health? like literally no-one ever acknowledges it and even when it is, it's through a religious view. which is cool if religion helps you, but for some it can be honestly very disconnected and tonedeaf
like AAAA its so infuriating
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feeling proud
so happy to see Malaysia has started picking up on mental health service; thanks to all those who are putting effort in this
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Sun Life donates Php40 million to promote healthier lives among marginalized youth across Asia
Sun Life, a leading financial services company, is set to breathe new life into basketball courts and inspire healthier lifestyles among marginalized youth in communities across Asia with a generous donation of PHP 40 million. This philanthropic initiative, undertaken in partnership with Beyond Sport, a global sport-for-social-change foundation, aims to tackle the alarming rates of physical…
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#MovementMatters campaign#2022 Active Healthy Kids Global Alliance report#2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup#3x3 charity event#Asia#basketball influencers#Beyond Sport#cardiovascular disease#celebrities#corporate social responsibility#donation#healthier lives#hong kong#indonesia#Jakarta#lifestyle#Malaysia#manila#marginalized youth#mental health challenges#moderate to vigorous physical activity#obesity#Official Health & Wellness Partner#philanthropic program#Philippines#PHP 40 million#physical inactivity#press release#sedentary behavior#sun life
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TACKLING MENTAL HEALTH PROBLEMS
Hi, this is my blog post on the system's weaknesses when it comes to tackling mental health problems within our society. If you like my articles and want to support my work, please consider subscribing to my blog. Thanks.
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Mindset. It’s all about mindset. From the moment you wake up to the moment you rest your head at night. Everything is up to you. Your emotions, your thoughts, your perceptions, your reactions, every moment.
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a messy review of TTPD
okay i need to preface this that i have the credentials to be able to speak my mind on her. i've been a fan since 2006. i've been a fan since i was 11 so don't get your panties in a bunch.
i think this album is messy. the production is the only thing i can really praise about it. the lead up to it and now the full release has just been so unbelievably messy. i'm going to make a continue reading for the people who still have yet to listen where i won't spoil it for you. PS. i do get mean in this. so if you're not wanting to hear critiques and criticism and taking that in, please scroll.
EDIT: this was pre-anthology release. so this is just based on the original 16 song release.
SPOILERS AHEAD
i am fully aware she is allowed to go through the grieving process of her breakup with joe. i respect that whole heartedly. i completely understand having someone in your life for such a big chunk and for them to be gone and feeling lost and alone and angry. what i don't like at all is essentially telling us in this album that she couldn't handle joe having severe depression. obviously i don't know everything that went down but it seems as though he didn't want to get married until he felt mentally better. and as someone who is also in the same boat as him, i also wouldn't want to fully commit to marriage until i felt like i could give them 100%. and if that's his biggest crime, being too depressed, then that's a her problem. being depressed is not all "haha relatable".
now onto... that man... i did not expect 90% of this album to be about him. i've only hated two people in my life. one being a family member of mine. the other, him (i will not be saying his name because he does not deserve it). the way she spent so much of this album talking about how she will defend him with her life. girl i am begging you to get up off the ground. it felt like a backstab from her in "but daddy, i love him" where she's basically saying fuck everyone for ruining a relationship i wanted. the reason no one wanted her with him is because he's a racist, misogynistic, homophobic asshole. i am aware he supports queer rights but it seems like he only cares about queer rights and the safety of queer people when it involves white queer people (ie. what happened in dubai and malaysia). i'm almost confident she cheated on joe with him while her and joe were still together. i'm sorry to taylor that i care about BIPOC and queer people's rights than making a racist white man happy.
joe truly got the short end of the stick here. he has been treated so horribly this past year by swifties who made up rumors about him just to make taylor seem like the good guy and the only thing this album told me was she was the villain in all of this. i hope joe has a good support system around him and i hope he's able to get any mental health help he needs. i do also think that taylor desperately needs a therapist as well. she is very adament about not having one and just using her mom and her friends but she needs an outside source to really listen and give her advice that isn't "yes man"-ing her all day long.
anyways, like i said at the beginning of this post, i enjoyed the production. my favorite songs were fortnight and who's afraid of little old me. it's gonna take time for me to enjoy this album outside of its messiness. i did enjoy midnights btw. so it's definitely not the sound i don't like it's just everything surrounding it.
70/100
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Kuala Lumpur by night 2 hours before Spring Festival (CNY). Reunion dinner went well. Whatsapped family who couldn't make it. Feeling warm and loved, giving love even as we all age and success seems to be a struggle / out of reach.
Earlier we discussed telekinesis and telepathy as extensions of the mind-body-spirit. Christians used to have these gifts but they were seemingly forgotten somewhere along the way and degenerated into hearing "voices" and feeling "olfactory" sensations -take your meds!
Really the mind and its arrangements, adornments is a beautiful and powerful thing and we are all linked tho we don't know or feel it, through the heart of our God. That said, there are many godless men using synthetic means of reaching out and taking control, whispering deceit. Be warned in these end times.
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Do you have any favorite books or comics that you'd recommend?
Superhero comics or in general? I'll go in general, haha:
Our Dreams At Dusk by Yuhki Kamatani
This is the book series I'm most obnoxiously recommending people. It's influenced me ever since, Lunar Boy is a direct homage to this short series in many ways. It talks about the lived realities of being queer and Japanese in Japan- the queerphobia, the mental health struggles, the relationships (romantic and platonic) in an in depth way. It opened my eyes to what the queer narrative can be, and I'm forever grateful for it. This story is so good it actively ruins all other queer media for me, haha.
Superman Smashes the Klan by Gene Yang and Gurihiru
This is the book I most successfully recommend to people. What can I say that I haven't said many times before? A reimagining of the classic Klan of the Fiery Cross arc from the classic Superman radio show, empathetically revitalized. A story that actually acknowledges and understands Superman as a direct immigrant allegory?? Where he relates to a Chinese American family being targeted by the Klan?? I love it, and many people have picked up how I'm influenced by it! You don't need to know anything about Superman or his lore, this is a very accessible story for newbies. If you want to know why I love Superman, this is it. This story is so good it actively ruins all other Superman media for me, haha.
Salt Magic by Hope Larson and Rebecca Mock
One of my recent all time favorite graphic novels!! This story is everything I love about fairytales perfectly told in the graphic novel format. When a mysterious woman curses a family farm by turning their water supply into entirely undrinkable salt water- Vonceil must embark on an adventure to uplift the curse that hangs over her family history. Also Rebecca Mock's art is INCREDIBLE.
Homunculus by Joe Sparrow
Shortbox, the publisher for this comic, is retiring soon so order this book now! Or any books from them that you fancy (discount code here)! From the indie scene, Homunculus is a beloved short comic about a machine with growing sentience witnessing the end of the world, and what comes after. The style is lovely and the story is deceptively simple! It's heartbreaking by the end.
Berrybrook Middle School Series (Awkward, Brave, Crush, Enemies) by Svetlana Chmakova
This series is the reason I wanted to make middle grade graphic novels, and is in my humble opinion- the best in the business. Each story is self contained, with a cast of recurring characters that all go to Berrybrook middle school. It covers a wide variety of young experiences in an empathetic way that doesn't feel like you're being talked down to. It's a book series that nurtures the children it's for. I cried reading Brave, and Crush is such an important book that I'm ecstatic that kids get to read.
The Weight Of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf
If you liked my Who Is Superman: A Private Interview with Lois Lane comic and want to learn more about the historical context behind it- I recommend The Weight Of Our Sky by Hanna Alkaf. It doesn't cover the same history (this book is about the 1969 race riots in Malaysia), but it's such an eerily similar incident that I felt myself reflected in it. Hanna is an incredibly vivid writer, and she handles so many topics with sensitive care. She highlights that historical events like this need to be remembered, and how fictional stories can breathe new life into an increasingly forgotten history. Also Hanna is so nice.
A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness (original idea by Siobhan Dowd)
One of my all time favorite novels, with hauntingly beautiful mixed media illustrations by Jim Kay. I love how this book covers grief in such a messy and fantastical way- showing how its young protagonist has larger than life feelings he's trying to contain from the looming eventual death of his mom's illness. This book is special because it was conceived originally by Siobhan Dowd as she was going through terminal cancer, in collaboration with her editor and Ness. It feels like an intimate experience, and this heavy feeling of grief carries the whole book in a memorable way.
Those are my fav books off the top of my head! Happy reading :>
#askjesncin#booklr#longish post#i miss having time to read novels i should do that again before work piles up#[proceeds to read cape comics instead]
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Yeah, after kokobot (which put pedophiles in contact with someone claiming to be a high school student to test it out, and that also used mentally ill teens as test subjects) I’m not trusting an app with “AI advice” not to tell a bunch of queer people to kill themselves
Update: when you look up Voda, you get, in order
Notice that none of these options are about this mental health service.
So, yeah, this is very sketchy. I may end up downloading it myself so you don’t have to, but I will end this post by looking at the Google play store
First off, it’s rated everyone on Google play but 17+ on Apple Store (or 12+ in certain countries). I think this warrants future investigation on queerphobic App Store policies. I’ll look at why it’s rated 17+ later.
Additional features it advertises: Cognitive Journaling Exercises, so Journal Prompts? And “Support for Trans and LGBTQ+ Individuals” which is really weird to put at the end of the features for a queer mental health app
Also “Developed by Leading LGBTQIA+ Psychotherapists” is listed as “something you have access to?
Also enjoy this:
WHAT CAN I LEARN?
Unlock the power of self-guided therapy with evidence-backed therapy approaches, including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and mindfulness.
If you really had lgbtq+ people working on the app you think one of them would know of the other meaning of “CBT”.
At least they supposedly don’t collect data, and the permissions look normal.
it does disclose it collects more data on iPhone, but the data is entirely related to the app’s functions, and I think it’s 17+ I think because it’s a medical app.
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Spring Semester- Unspoken Bonds (Part 2)
Malaysia: (leaning back) I get it. Life isn't always sunshine and rainbows. But secrets? They eat away at you. Trust me, I know.
Jessica: What do you mean?
Malaysia: (takes a deep breath) Well, me and Pharaoh got into it and he threatening to take Benny from me.
Jessica: (shaking head) Wow. Do you think he’s serious? Are you okay?
Malaysia: That’s the thing. I don’t know. Pharaoh likes to play games and the not knowing is killing me. Benny wants to see him. But I'm scared, Jess. Scared he won’t give him back after a weekend.
Malaysia went on and on about how Pharoah's constant harassment has been affecting her mental health. She doesn't know how to handle it and doesn't want to burden Trinity with her problems.
Jessica: (softly) Malaysia, I—
Malaysia: (interrupting) No, let me finish. I've been dealing with this for the most part alone. But you… you're my friend. Maybe if I open up, you'll feel safe enough to share your secret too.
Jessica: Malaysia, I—
Malaysia: Jess, whatever it is, we'll face it together. You're not alone.
#The Richards Legacy#Malaysia#ts4#sims 4#simblr#the sims 4#simblog#ea#sims 4 legacy#ts4 legacy#black simblr#video games#sims 4 story#sims 4 gameplay#black sims#ts4 story#ts4 gameplay#ts4 simblr#maxis
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