PARLIAMENT | The federal territories of Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya recorded the highest rate of depression and anxiety disorders last year, said Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat today, Zaliha (Pakatan Harapan-Sekijang) said the findings were from a screening involving 336,906 people carried out nationwide in 2022.

Based on data from the Health Ministry (MOH) sighted by Malaysiakini, 70 percent of 4,665 people in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya, who underwent the screening, displayed symptoms of depression and anxiety disorders.

Zaliha said the contributing factors included the high cost of living and relationship problems with parents and peers.

“People in the federal territories have many problems…

“As we know, many of the B40 community live in the federal territories. In addition to relationship and friendship problems, there is pressure from parents who want their children to become ministers,” she said.

She said this in response to a supplementary question from Mohd Sany Hamzan (Harapan–Hulu Langat) who wanted to know which state has the highest rate of mental health issues.

According to the same set of data from the Health Ministry, Johor ranked second with 44 percent of 57,875 individuals screened, followed by Labuan (33 percent of 421) and Sabah (23 percent of 21,967).

Meanwhile, Kelantan recorded the least number of mental health problems with just one percent of 25,268 people who underwent the screening.

Earlier, Zaliha said MOH has taken various measures to overcome mental health issues experienced by the community, especially the target groups including teenagers, youth, and the elderly.

She said the ministry has provided mental health services in 1,161 health clinics, 58 hospitals, 34 community mental health centres, and four mental institutions.

She said the ministry also held a Let’s Talk Minda Sihat Campaign and is looking into developing a Dementia Action Plan to meet dementia healthcare needs.

“The mental health component is also included in the 2023-2030 Action Plan for Elderly Health Services which is being updated,” she added.

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