Mental Health: Employers urged to implement psychosocial risk prevention plan

KUALA LUMPUR: Employers need to implement psychosocial risk reduction or prevention plan to create a healthy environment at work, said Mental Health Promotion Advisory Council member Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
Lee said a healthy work environment was vital because employees spent one-third of their day at the office.
"Hence workplace issues often become a major contributor to stress. Workers may not recognise symptoms of mental disorder, especially if they experience mild forms of stress such as lethargy and dysthymia (continuous depression).
"In this regard, Workplace Health Promotion (WHP) is becoming increasingly relevant to ensure a balance in customer expectations and organisational targets," he said in a statement here today.
Lee also recommended that every organisation took into account the risks of stress and psychosocial aspects pertaining to mental social health in the workplace as part of the health and safety strategy to reduce accidents and injuries at work.
Meanwhile, Lee said it was time to introduce a mental health assessment system following the rise in various issues among the community lately.
"The development of such a psychological assessment index can be implemented by the Ministry of Health and the results will be used to help the relevant parties to plan ongoing programmes to address mental health issues in the country," he said.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, about 4.2 million Malaysians, aged 16 and above or 29.2% are mentally ill, an increase of 11.2% compared to 2006.
Lee said more worryingly, mental problems also involved students because the
ratio of those facing mental problems has increased from one in every 10 persons in 2011 to one in every five persons in 2016.
"Experts have identified stress and depression as a major cause of mental health problems among students," he added. — Bernama