'Mental Health and I' - epidemiologist launches mental health awareness platform
An epidemiologist by training and a mental health advocate by passion, Vinogiri Krishnan intends to break stigmas and address mental health issues through her newly launched online platform: 'Mental Health and I'.
When pursuing her PhD at the John A Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii in the United States, Vinogiri (above)
witnessed a substantial number of support groups available there and
felt that the mental health support available in Malaysia paled in
comparison.
“I saw how people supported one another and how they were going the extra mile to form a support group when someone was suffering...
An epidemiologist by training and a mental health advocate by passion, Vinogiri Krishnan intends to break stigmas and address mental health issues through her newly launched online platform: 'Mental Health and I'.
When pursuing her PhD at the John A Burns School of Medicine at the University of Hawaii in the United States, Vinogiri (above) witnessed a substantial number of support groups available there and felt that the mental health support available in Malaysia paled in comparison.
“I saw how people supported one another and how they were going the extra mile to form a support group when someone was suffering.
“Support groups are helpful when you are at your lowest as they allow (people to) just have somebody to listen (to them),” she said, adding that some Malaysians are more likely to judge than listen.
'Mental Health and I' is an online channel launched on July 9 and aims to discuss mental health topics such as sex addiction, homophobia and suicide, among other matters.
“I will be focusing on real-life issues, sharing raw experiences, discussions, information sharing and spread as much awareness as possible in the context of mental health and humanity.
“The main goal of this platform is to provide a safe place for everyone and to be the voice for all unheard voices. I will give my fullest to contribute as much as I can for the people and humanity. I always believe that even the littlest contributions make huge impacts,” Vinogiri said about her 'Mental Health and I' channel.
Her first interview was with an HIV patient who was kicked out of his home after testing positive for Covid-19.
In the video, the patient shared how he built himself back up from the negative experiences and sought help following his eviction.
Vinogiri told Malaysiakini that she hopes stories like this would inspire viewers who are going through the same thing.
“You see, people are going through (similar experiences) on a daily basis. When they hear interviews like this, they will feel like they should not give up and seek help.
“These (interviews) should empower and motivate people who are close to giving up,” she said.
Rehabilitate, not criminalise
After gaining her bachelor's and master's degrees from USM Penang, Vinogiri went overseas to study epidemiology, which is the study of how often diseases occur in different groups of people and why.
In the course of doing her fieldwork at places such as Kajang Prison and with the Malaysian Aids Council, her interest in mental health awareness grew.
“I was carrying out a project in Kajang Prison (where I) learned so many things, like the torture they go through. Why do they end up in prison and why do they turn to drugs as a solution.
“Even when they come out, they don’t get the help that they need, and they relapse or they lose their families,” she said, adding that the need for rehabilitation over punishment was great.
Citing her experience witnessing mental health disparity between regions, she said sharing experiences generally led to positive results and was deemed to be inspirational in the US. Less so in Malaysia, where there is still an element of stigma.
“If you attempt suicide, you are a criminal in Malaysia.
“They will definitely put you in jail or try you under Section 309 of the Penal Code.
“If I (attempted suicide) of course (the authorities) would save me, but then the next step here is they are going to throw me in jail. They are going to try me in court. How am I going to live after that?” she exclaimed.
Additionally, Vinogiri feels that while mental health issues such as sex addiction are briefly alluded to by the Health Ministry, they do not actually tell the public what steps to take to tackle the issue.
“These modules that are published on the Health Ministry website just stay there. They do not actually tell the public and community how to battle their problems and how to embrace these things so that they will be able to battle them,” she said.
Due to mental health being a taboo in Malaysia, she said, people generally do not open up about their issues but turn to social media instead.
Vinogiri added that it is through social media that children nowadays learn about sex, which may result in sex addiction.
In 2017, 9.3 percent of 12- to 13-year-olds in Malaysia were reported to be sexually active, as seen in the 2017 National Health and Morbidity Survey conducted by the Health Ministry that sampled 30,496 students.
“Can you blame 12- and 13-year-olds for having sex? (The answer is) you can’t blame them because they don’t even know what sex is, but they are literally trying out because of the exposures we are feeding them,” she said.
She attributed the addiction to social media trends, such as a recent trend where people were reacting on social media to racy scenes in the Netflix show Sex/Life.
But even if children have already indulged in some inappropriate behaviour, Vinogiri said it is important to set them on the right path - to help them find a purpose in life, which she intends to do through 'Mental Health and I'.
Support groups
Asked about the future of the platform, she expressed hope to establish support groups for people with different problematic issues.
“You cannot do just counselling, it won't work. You have to have a support group with other people who have actually battled the same problem and have them run the support group because their experiences will teach you the most,” she said.
All in all, she just hopes to help save lives.
“People just don't (harm) themselves. They give indications. They do give signs, but you're just not aware enough, or you're just probably taking them for granted. So these are the things that I will talk about on my platform," Vinogiri said.
'Mental Health and I' is available on Facebook, YouTube and Tiktok.
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