PETALING JAYA: Anyone’s mental health can be at risk, even that of Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

       Having taken over the helm of the ministry at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in August, he said:

       “If you ask me, yes. It’s been more than two months since I’ve been Health Minister and I would be lying if I said that my mental health is unaffected.

       “Work pressure is a part of mental health and you need to know how to handle the stress,” he said during the launch of the Mental Health Strategic Plan (2020-2025) yesterday that was streamed live on Facebook.

       Khairy advised people to check on their loved ones with just a simple question: “How are you doing?”

       “That is the most basic question that we should ask people. ‘Are you okay?’ Not just an off-the-cuff remark... you want to listen,” he added.

       Khairy said politicians were not spared from mental health issues despite showing a confident front most of the time.

       “But it’s not as though we are stress-free. I think it is important for all of us to have an avenue to express our emotions.

       “If we cannot control our emotions, we seek emotional help.”

       Khairy said people had different approaches to stress and for him, it was all about properly unwinding after putting in a hard day’s work.

       “Each day, we must have time to completely unplug. That is your sacred time with yourself, God and your thoughts after what you did the entire day,” he added.

       Khairy said the main issue about mental health was stigma, with those who sought help often perceived by society as being “crazy.”

       “We must get rid of this stigma. Mental health issues must be normalised so those in need can seek help, counselling and treatment,” he added.

       He said this is why the government decided to make relevant amendments to decriminalise attempted suicide.

       Khairy said his ministry was of the view that physical health was as important as mental health, and he pledged to ensure that no one in society will be left out in seeking help for mental disorders.

       “The centrality of both mental and physical health is very important. Treatment and support must be accessible to all,” he added.

       Describing himself as an advocate of digital tools, Khairy said the government will invest more to improve the features of the MySejahtera app to include mental health screening, as well as accessibility to treatment and counsellors.

       “I’m big on digital tools so we will be investing more on the features in MySejahtera for mental health screening and treatment,” he said.

       He also said he will be working towards establishing the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health.

       “Not just a research centre, but also a place where we have state-of-the-art equipment and it will be open to those with mental health issues. That is my agenda now,” he added.