'No health without mental health'

By: Diyana Ibrahim
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, November 28, 2011

Dr Ramli Hassan, Head of Ripas Hospital's Psychiatric Service Department, delivers his opening remarks during the World Mental Health Day 2011 Forum held at Centrepoint Hotel, Gadong on November 26.
Picture: BT/Yusri Adanan

"THERE is no health without mental health," Dr Ramli Hassan, psychiatric specialist and head of psychiatric services said during his welcoming speech at the World Mental Health Forum last Saturday.

"To care for mental health is as important as to care for physical health," Dr Ramli said.

"Mental illness constitutes a very big cost," he added, "not only in terms of the suffering endured by the mentally-ill patients, their families and friends, but also in terms of financial costs from lower individual productivity, costs of lifetime support for these patients and the yearly costs of treating and recovering these patients."

Borneo Bulletin Article - Mental health: Is it really all in the mind?

By Dr Ramli Hassan, Specialist & Head of Psychiatric Services (Taken from Borneo Bulletin Weekend 22nd October 2011)

World Mental Health Day is celebrated throughout the world on October 10 of every year.

For 2011, the theme chosen by the World Federation of Mental Health (WFMH) is "The Great Push: Investing in Mental Health". This theme emphasises the importance of mental health at all levels of society and the importance of investing resources to ensure the maintenance of optimal mental health in all the members of a society.

The number of people suffering from mental illness in the community is large. In general, the rate of mental illness is higher in the more developed and urbanised societies as compared with the developing and less urbanised societies.

For example, in the United States, Europe and Japan, one in every four adults has some form of mental illness requiring treatment. This rate is lower in the less developed societies such as Malaysia where 11 per cent of the adult population suffer from some kind of mental illness. The prevalence rate of mental illness in Brunei is not known as no epidemiological study has been done on the subject.

From Brunei Times: MoH marks Mental Health Day today

Adam Radhi
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, October 10, 2011

THE Ministry of Health (MoH) will be observing World Mental Health Day today at the Raja Isteri Pengiran Anak Saleha (Ripas) Hospital.

Starting a month-long campaign, several exhibitor booths will be set up to raise awareness on mental illnesses, and will be exhibiting comprehensive information on symptoms, treatments and causes.

The ministry has organised four exhibitions throughout the nation that will run for a week each. Every district's hospital will host a week of exhibitors.

A spokesperson from the ministry said that a walkathon will be held to raise awareness, though they could not confirm when. They had confirmed that a forum on mental health will also be part of the programmes, slated to be held at the end of the month.

No further details are available.


Estimates from November last year show 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.


Last year's statistics from Ripas Hospital showed that there was a 62 per cent jump in diagnosed cases from 3,889 in 2002 to 6,335 in 2006. Some of the disorders treated included depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.


Records of 2011 show that in the past five years, approximately 300 children and adolescents have been registered with the Psychiatric Department at the Ministry of Health for depression, emotional and behavioural problems.


A psychiatrist from Ripas Hospital said during last year's World Mental Health Day, a combination of genetic factors and various types of stresses are the main causes of mental illnesses in Brunei.


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.


According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), financial and human resources allocated for mental health are inadequate especially in low resource countries. The majority of low- and middle-income countries spend less than two per cent of their health budget on mental health. The Brunei Times

Selamat Menyambut Hari Kesihatan Mental Sedunia 2011

 
Program-program yang diadakan oleh Kementerian Kesihatan untuk menyambut Hari Kesihatan Mental Sedunia 2011:


1. Pameran:
Pameran Kesihatan Mental bertempat di:
(a) Hospital RIPAS, daerah Brunei Muara (10hb - 16hb Oktober 2011)
(b) Hospital PMMPMHAMB daerah Tutong (17hb - 23hb Oktober 2011)
(c) Hospital SSB, daerah Kuala Belait (23hb - 30hb Oktober 2011)
(d) Hospital PIHM, daerah Temburong (31hb Oktober - 6hb November 2011)


2. Media
(a) RTB 1 Rampai Pagi pada pukul 7.20am 11hb Oktober 2011
(b) Radio Pilihan (Bahasa Inggeris) pada pukul 12.00 tengahhari 13hb Oktober 2011
(c) Rangkaian Nasional (Bahasa Melayu) pada pukul 1.30 petang 13hb Oktober 2011
(d) Artikel di dalam Akhbar Borneo Bulletin dan Media Permata (pada minggu ini)


3. Walkathon
 Di Mukim AMO Temburong pada bulan November (tarikh akan ditetapkan)


4. Forum (untuk jemputan sahaja)
Akan berlangsung pada 26hb November 2011 (pagi) bertempat di Center Point Hotel .

Minggu Depan: World Mental Health Day (Hari Kesejahteraan Jiwa Sedunia) 2011

Hari Kesejahteraan Jiwa Sedunia 2011 akan diraikan di seluruh dunia pada minggu depan, iaitu pada hari Isnin, 10hb Oktober 2011.

Tema Hari Kesejahteraan Jiwa Sedunia 2011 ialah "Investing in Mental Health" (membuat pelaburan di dalam kesejahteraan jiwa).

Kami dimaklumi bahawa Jabatan Psikiatri di Hospital RIPAS telahpun merancang acara-acara untuk meraikan Hari Kesejahteraan Jiwa Sedunia tahun ini, dan aktiviti berkenaan akan berlangsung bukan saja pada 10hb Oktober 2011, tetapi berterusan untuk beberapa bulan. Tujuan acara-acara berkenaan adalah untuk meningkatkan kesedaran mengenai masalah kesejahteraan jiwa dan juga beban masalah kesejahteraan jiwa kepada individu, keluarga dan masyarakat. Juga diharapkan acara-acara berkenaan dapat melahirkan kesedaran mengenai faedah melabur di dalam kesejahteraan jiwa.

Kami di blog Kesejahteraan Jiwa Kitani menantikan berita selanjutnya dan akan menyampaikannya di sini secepat mungkin.

Facebook Syndrome: 8 Ways to Beat Your Facebook Addiction

Facebook, YouTube, Wikipedia, Twitter, Myspace… the list is endless. Millions of us are addicted. The Government tells us that our time wasting internet addictions are costing the country billions of dollars every year. Our productivity at work is dismal because we spend most of the day reading our Fun Wall or checking out our favorite blogs. Can this additive behavior be beaten?

The answer is yes.

In this article I want to give you some simple and concrete ways to beat your time wasting internet addiction.

Facebook Syndrome: How to tell if you are an internet addict

Before we start you need to find out if you are an addict. Once you have admitted to yourself that you are addicted to your favorite website we can go about giving you some solutions for that problem. Here are some surefire signs that you are addicted:

1. You are late for meetings because you are on Facebook
If you ever late for a meeting or an appointment because you were checking your updates on Facebook or watching a related video on Youtube then you know you are addicted. This is classic addict behavior. It is time to get help.

2. You think about it when you are offline
I have several friends who struggle to get to sleep because they are thinking about the latest game or wondering how their website statistics are looking. If you do this then it could be a sign that you are heading towards a problem.

3. Your friends and family comment on your excessive internet use
When other people around you start to notice that you have a problem it is generally a pretty accurate indicator that you are losing it. If your mates, coworkers or family members have made comments about how much you use the net then you need to read the rest of this post.

4. You check your accounts from your Blackberry
A Blackberry is designed as a business tool. It is supposed to allow you to check your important emails and work materials without having to be in the office. It is not for checking Facebook or Myspace updates while you are having dinner with me. That is just not on. If you use your Blackberry for monitoring your social media accounts then you need help.

5. You get stressed when a Facebook “friend” doesn’t add you
Have you ever noticed yourself getting stressed over something that has happened on Facebook or Myspace? Do you ever feel like your online life is more real than your offline life? If you have been stressed about what rapper you turned out as or what magic egg someone sent you then it is time to open your eyes.

Hari Kanser (Barah) Sedunia 2011: Kesan Kanser Ke atas Kesejahteraan Jiwa

Hari Jumaat lepas, iaitu 4hb Februari 2011, merupakan Hari Kanser Sedunia - satu hari yang dipilih oleh Badan Kesihatan Sedunia (World Health Organization atau WHO) untuk mewujukan kesedaran masyarakat di seluruh dunia mengenai penyakit kanser. Tujuan menyambut hari tersebut juga adalah untuk mendorong usaha untuk mencegah, mengesan, dan merawat penyakit ini.


Di Negara Brunei Darussalam, pelbagai acara diadakan untuk menyambut Hari Kanser Sedunia, termasuk Forum yang diadakan pada 9hb Februari 2011 dan Walkathon di Jerudong Park pada hari Ahad 13hb Februari 2011.


Sungguhpun pada hari ini kebanyakan jenis penyakit kanser dapat dirawat (terutamanya jika dikesan dan dirawat pada tahap awal), ianya masih merupakan sesuatu yang cukup traumatik apabila diberi berita yang diri atau orang tersayang mempunyai penyakit kanser. Bagi kebanyakkan orang, penyakit kanser masih mempunyai sinonim dengan kematian. Cuba fikirkan, apakah terbayang diminda awda apabila membayangkan seseorang yang mempunyai penyakit kanser? Seorang yang kurus kering, kepala yang tidak lagi ditumbuhi rambut, badan yang lemah tidak bermaya, dan dekat kepada ajal.