Acting Director General of Medical Services, Dr Hjh Lailawati Hj Jumat delivering her speech during the World Mental Health Day forum 2010. Picture: BT/Zamri Zainal
"THERE is no (physical) health without mental health," said the Acting Director-General of Medical Services at the Ministry of Health (MoH) yesterday.
Dr Hjh Lailawati also stressed that since the body's physical well-being is interconnected with its mental health, then the latter needs to be given priority.
Speaking at the World Mental Health Day Forum organised by the MoH, Dr Hjh Lailawati, said, mental health needs to be given a high importance at all levels of society the individual, the family and the organisational levels.
This year's theme "Mental Health in Chronic Physical Illness" emphasises the need for patients and health professionals to be aware of the close relationship between mental and physical health.
It is estimated that 10 per cent of Bruneians suffer from some form of mental illness, with less than five per cent of the population developing more serious mental illnesses.
Statistics from Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha Hospital (Ripas) showed that between 2002 and 2006 the number of diagnosed cases of mental illness had risen by 62 per cent to 6,335 patients. Some of the disorders treated included depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
In the past five years, approximately 300 children and adolescents have been registered with the Psychiatric Department of the Ministry of Health (MoH) for depression, emotional and behavioural problems.
Dr Hjh Lailawati said that while mental health services have improved in many countries, they are still not getting the support, resources and funding they need.
Almost 100 health professionals from the MoH attended the forum at The Empire Hotel and Country Club, where three senior medical officers from the Department of Psychiatry presented keynote lectures.
Ripas Hospital's Head of Psychiatry, Dr Ramli Hassan said the aim of the forum was to increase awareness and recognition of mental illness by MoH staff, and emphasise the importance of early intervention.
"Unfortunately, in Brunei as in Malaysia, we still see cases who have been severely mentally ill for 8-10 years before being brought for treatment, often when the patient becomes aggressive, violent or unmanageable," said Dr Ramli.
During his lecture, senior medical officer at the Department of Psychiatry, Dr Rifai Farid, said there is still a stigma attached to mental illness, and that many people in Brunei and Malaysia still do not recognise depression and anxiety as legitimate illnesses.
Dr Ramli added that a combination of genetic factors and various types of stresses are the main common causes of mental illnesses in Brunei Darussalam. Individuals with a family history of mental illness also have a 10 per cent higher risk of developing a similar mental illness.
About 70 to 80 per cent of the patients would see improvements in their condition after undergoing drug treatment, said Dr Ramli.
Last year, Ripas Hospital spent more than $1 million on Olanzapine, a medication that has been proven effective for treating schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. This makes the drug the third largest drug expenditure at the hospital.
According to a previous report, the Ministry of Health also provides a Mental Health Allowance for those with chronic mental illnesses who find themselves incapacitated by their respective affliction.The Brunei Times
Source Taken from:
Quratul-Ain Bandial (2010).Connection between mental health, physical well-being stressed.< http://www.bt.com.bn/news-national/2010/11/29/connection-between-mental-health-physical-well-being-stressed.> Updated 29 November 2010.
