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Some 4.6% of Malaysians aged 16 and above experience depression, a national survey in 2023 found, doubling from 2.3% in 2019.
\nPETALING JAYA: Concerns over the mental health of Malaysians are mounting, as stress, anxiety and depression become increasingly common.<\/p>\n
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey\u202f2023, about 4.6% of Malaysians aged 16 and above experience depression \u2014 doubling from 2.3% in 2019.<\/p>\n
While treatment is vital, early prevention plays a pivotal role \u2014 underscoring the need to identify signs of distress before they escalate.<\/p>\n
If intervention comes early, emotional challenges can be managed before they harden into illness. Yet stigma, shame and silence continue to stop many from reaching out until it is too late.<\/p>\n
Awak OK Tak?<\/p>\n
Public awareness campaigns have therefore become a key strategy to normalise conversations around mental health \u2014 most recently through \u2018Awak OK Tak?\u2019, an awareness programme launched by the women, family and community development ministry.<\/p>\n
Minister Nancy Shukri said the idea emerged after her ministry received a stream of cases involving people struggling with depression and emotional breakdowns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe wanted to promote awareness so people reflect on their emotional well-being. When someone asks \u2018Awak OK tak?\u2019, it makes you stop and think \u2014 maybe I need to talk to someone,\u201d she told FMT.<\/p>\n
The phrase is now being positioned as a national check-in, a simple gesture that can open the door to empathy and early help.<\/p>\n
Beyond awareness<\/p>\n
Behind the slogan is Talian Kasih 15999, a 24-hour hotline offering counselling, emotional support and referrals for welfare aid, shelter and legal assistance.<\/p>\n
Nancy said the aim is to reach those who may not even realise they need help.<\/p>\n
According to her ministry\u2019s data, calls to the helpline cover a wide spectrum: domestic violence and family disputes, child abuse and emotional neglect, elder abandonment and loneliness, financial stress and welfare assistance queries, and mental-health struggles.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes people think no one cares, or that they\u2019re alone. But when someone asks \u2018Awak OK tak?\u2019, it reminds them that help is there,\u201d the minister said.<\/p>\n
The campaign also links to community-based initiatives like Skuad WAJA, seeking to empower women facing domestic or financial stress; KasihNita, which helps single mothers pursue child support and legal aid; and Pusat Sokongan Sosial Setempat, offering psychological counselling and guidance through mobile and fixed centres.<\/p>\n
Together, these programmes extend care beyond awareness \u2014 offering practical, preventive support.<\/p>\n
Breaking stigma<\/p>\n
Yet, as with many well-intentioned initiatives, Nancy acknowledges that stigma continues to be a major barrier.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes, people don\u2019t want to be seen as having a problem. That\u2019s why we use this campaign \u2014 to show you\u2019re not alone, and that our services are confidential,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Through its \u201cwhole-of-community\u201d approach, \u2018Awak OK Tak?\u2019 encourages Malaysians to look out for one another \u2014 family, friends, even neighbours.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe want a caring society, one that notices when someone seems down and asks, \u2018Are you okay?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Nancy said calls to Talian Kasih jumped to 59,065 in 2024 \u2014 up from 52,801 the year before \u2014 with almost 10,000 calls directed to counsellors for counselling sessions. Far from a red flag, Nancy said the increase shows more people are reaching out instead of staying silent.<\/p>\n
\u201cAn increase doesn\u2019t mean more problems. It shows people are starting to use the services available,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
For the ministry, that\u2019s proof the message is resonating: Malaysians are beginning to seek help earlier, before small problems become severe.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes the person you ask might really be waiting for someone to care. We want \u2018Awak OK tak?\u2019 to become a normal question \u2014 one that brings people together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
By encouraging empathy and early intervention, Malaysia is taking a crucial step towards a future where mental health care begins not in crisis, but in conversation.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Some 4.6% of Malaysians aged 16 and above experience depression, a national survey in 2023 found, doubling from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":122433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[77624,530,77625,163,85,46,522,523,77626,77627],"class_list":{"0":"post-122432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-77624","9":"tag-anxiety","10":"tag-awak-ok-tak","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-il","13":"tag-israel","14":"tag-mental-health","15":"tag-mentalhealth","16":"tag-nancy-shukri","17":"tag-talian-kasih"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}