{"id":430920,"date":"2026-01-26T14:35:19","date_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:35:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/430920\/"},"modified":"2026-01-26T14:35:19","modified_gmt":"2026-01-26T14:35:19","slug":"mental-health-a-shared-responsibility-not-just-a-medical-issue-says-kuching-south-mayor","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/430920\/","title":{"rendered":"Mental health a shared responsibility, not just a medical issue, says Kuching South Mayor"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>\nFacebook<br \/>\nTwitter<br \/>\nLinkedIn<br \/>\nThreads<br \/>\nWhatsApp<br \/>\nTelegram\n<\/p>\n<p><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1302339\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1302339\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Kch-240126-sj-mentalhealth-p1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1080\" height=\"719\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"caption-attachment-1302339\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Wee (front, third left) joins the seminar participants for a photocall.<\/p>\n<p>KUCHING (Jan 24): Mental health continues to receive insufficient attention despite its growing impact on individuals, families and communities.<\/p>\n<p>In this respect, it should not be seen as solely a medical issue.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt is a family issue, a community issue, and a shared responsibility. We want everyone to work together towards our vision of a caring, inclusive, and healthy city, where the well-being of our people is always a priority,\u201d said Kuching South Mayor Dato Wee Hong Seng at the \u2018Prosper 2.0 Community Mental Health Seminar Series 2026\u2019 here.<\/p>\n<p>The programme was organised by the Mental Health Association (MHA) Sarawak.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking in his capacity as an advisor to MHA Sarawak over the past 37 years, Wee stressed that mental health should not be feared or stigmatised.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cNo one can avoid sickness and no one wants to be a mental health patient.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPressures from work, family responsibilities and daily life often contribute to emotional and psychological strain,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>The mayor also highlighted the challenges faced by the \u2018sandwich generation\u2019 \u2013 those bearing multiple responsibilities between caring for ageing parents and supporting their own children.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter completing their studies, young adults are expected to enter the workforce, as parents may no longer provide financial support.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCultural factors may also shape family arrangements.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs they marry, responsibilities continue to grow, including owning a home, raising children, and supporting education,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>In this regard, Wee said the government was addressing these pressures through initiatives such as child-friendly and age-friendly cities, medical benefits, as well as other support systems.<\/p>\n<p>Sharing his personal experience, he encouraged individuals to develop positive coping strategies, including maintaining strong beliefs, exercising regularly, cultivating hobbies, and nurturing healthy habits.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAs a mayor, I also have to care for my family, the community, and many responsibilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have grown through these challenges,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>He also emphasised the importance of communication within families, particularly between spouses.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSit down and share with your partner. When you feel sad, talk to friends or loved ones to release your frustration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>\nFacebook<br \/>\nTwitter<br \/>\nLinkedIn<br \/>\nThreads<br \/>\nWhatsApp<br \/>\nTelegram<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Threads WhatsApp Telegram Wee (front, third left) joins the seminar participants for a photocall. KUCHING&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":430921,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[60],"tags":[97,259,260,204500,204501],"class_list":{"0":"post-430920","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-health","9":"tag-mental-health","10":"tag-mentalhealth","11":"tag-shared-responsibility","12":"tag-wee-hong-seng"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430920","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=430920"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/430920\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/430921"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=430920"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=430920"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=430920"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}