This year, the WHO has set Mental Health at Work as the theme, focusing on workplaces and practices as a crucial area of mental health struggles. The aftereffects of COVID-19 on workplace practices and work-life balance can still be felt today, as companies try to integrate pre-pandemic practices and the lifestyle changes brought forth by the global lockdown.
Whether your troubles come from home, work or anywhere in between, if you find yourself struggling with your mental health, these five Malaysian platforms are a good place to start on your journey to understanding your mind.
Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA)
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One of the country’s earliest establish mental health-focused NGOs, MMHA was founded in 1967 by then-faculty members of University Malaya’s Department of Psychology. Since then, the team at MMHA have been a vocal advocate for the promotion of mental wellbeing in the country, from their counseling and therapy services to their health and wellbeing resources that are available online. They also share bite-sized snippets of information regarding mental health awareness issues on their Instagram, breaking down topics like burnout, boundary-setting, and many more and is a great place to start recognising what you might be going through.
Thoughtfull
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On the topic of Mental Health at Work as this year’s theme, Thoughtfull is an app-based mental health service, with organisation-wide services aimed at employers and employees to provide support in the workplace. Integrated with useful on-the-go capabilities like mood tracking, journaling, breathing exercises, and meditation, Thoughtfull’s mission is to improve employee wellbeing by starting with taking charge of their mental health. The app also connects users to their Thoughtfull Professionals, who are all licensed psychology professionals that can provide counselling and therapy services based on each employee’s needs. Thoughtfull is also available for individuals use, so you can start your own journey without waiting for your company to catch up.
Naluri
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In a similar vein, Naluri – a digital holistic wellbeing service – started out by offering solutions to corporate companies while advocating for management to take better notice of their employees mental health. Naluri was founded by Azran-Osman Rani, most notable as the founder of AirAsia X and someone who is very open about his own wellness journey. The company grew rapidly during the pandemic, as many companies were looking to help their employees deal with the stresses of being at home and under lockdown. Today, Naluri offers their support and services directly to individuals too, through their website and app. This year, they’ve also launched a campaign for WMHD called What I Wish You Knew, which is aimed at encouraging people to share their thoughts and feelings with others to start a conversation around mental health.
Aloe Mind
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Aloe Mind is a mental health clinic that offers licensed psychologists and therapists for individual and couple therapy, as well as professional mental health assessment services. Most accessibly, they have mental health test available for free on their website, that can give a preliminary look into your current mental state. They offer the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) test and an Adult ADHD Symptom Checklist that can be taken at any time. However, remember that simplified tests are not a replacement for professional diagnosis, it is just as a helpful starting point to finding the right pathway to your mental health.
The Mind Faculty
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The Mind Faculty is a premium mental health clinic located in Mont Kiara. With a team of over 20 professionals, The Mind Faculty offers a well-rounded range of services that covers psychiatric and psychological care, counselling and related therapies too. They even offer art therapy and TCM services to complement their offered treatments, as well as specialised support and care for children and adolescents too. The Mind Faculty often organises and take part in public programmes and talks around the topic of mental health. Their IG is also a great one to follow, as they share a whole range of mental health-related things like myth-busting, words of affirmation, and more.
If you are struggling and in need of urgent help and support, don’t hesitate to reach out to any of the hotlines below:
Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) – 03 7782 5499 (Hotline)
Befrienders – 03 7627 2929 (Hotline, 24 Hours)
Talian Kasih – 15999 (Hotline, 24 hours); 019 261 5999 (WhatsApp)
Women’s Aid Organisations (WAO) – 03 7956 3488 (Hotline)
Think I Need Aid (TINA) – 018 988 8058 (WhatsApp)
Buddy Bear – 1 800 18 2327 (Hotline)