Community mental health in Malaysia: marriage of psychiatry and public health
Mental Health Services in Malaysia has long been confined to psychiatry whose history in this country dated back as early as 1827. However, aspects of prevention of mental disorders and promotion of mental health had lagged behind. The public health burden of mental health problems and...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Department Of Community Health, Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia
2000
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| Online Access: | http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4385/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4385/ http://journalarticle.ukm.my/4385/1/Vol6%28K%29-Bashirah.pdf |
| Summary: | Mental Health Services in Malaysia has long been confined to psychiatry whose
history in this country dated back as early as 1827. However, aspects of prevention of
mental disorders and promotion of mental health had lagged behind. The public
health burden of mental health problems and disorders now is too high for this to
continue. Thus the need for a more comprehensive outlook of mental health services
in the country to redress these issues. This paper attempts to give an insight into the
matter. It starts with a discussion on the underlying concepts involved. This is
followed by a brief review of the different models of mental health services and an in
depth discussion on the model adopted by Malaysia under the new Community
Mental Health Programme. An update as per the current status of the programme is
given followed by a discussion on the what are our strength and weaknesses,
threats and opportunities. To conclude the paper some recommendations are
suggested as the way forward for the success of the Community Mental Health
Programme in Malaysia. |
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