'I'm not okay': What happens when someone seeks help over mental health?

For years, the message around mental health has been simple: It is okay not to be okay.

But what happens after someone finally says, “I’m not okay”?

That is the question at the heart of a KiniTV special report for Suicide Prevention Month, which looks beyond awareness campaigns to what happens when someone actually reaches out for help.

Kampung Tunku assemblyperson Lim Yi Wei, publicly speaks about being a suicide attempt survivor and how that experience shaped her advocacy on mental health reform.

Lim (below) said her decision to disclose her lived experience publicly was deliberate, even though it shocked friends who already knew what she had gone through.

“Yeah, I did it on stage, and friends who knew my lived experience looked terribly shocked.

“You can see there were three of them, and you can see their faces just drop and think like, what, did she really say that on stage?” Lim said.

“But it was also a calculated decision in the sense that I have been advocating for mental health ever since I joined politics.

“And I think I've reached this point where I feel confident enough to come out as someone with lived experience,” she added.

Advocacy work

Her advocacy has included efforts to decriminalise attempted suicide, which culminated in amendments involving Section 309 of the Penal Code.

Lim said the issue drew greater public attention during the Covid-19 pandemic, when cases emerged of suicide-attempt survivors being taken into police custody.

“I think people really noticed it during Covid-19 because there were a few cases of attempted suicides, where the survivors were brought to lock-ups.

“And I think that made a lot of people angry, made a lot of people sit up and realise that there is this 'undang-undang yang lapuk lah' (outdated law),” she said.

Lim said she later worked with Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii and Subang Jaya assemblyperson Michelle Ng to push for reform.

After the coalition government was formed in 2022, they approached then-deputy law minister Ramkarpal Singh.

“We kind of seized on the timing to visit Ramkarpal, who was then the deputy law minister, and say, look, you know, this is a really a low-hanging fruit.

“It needs to be done because it is unjust to people who have survived suicide, who actually need help, not, you know, an RM1,000 fine, lock-up or both.”

The KiniTV special also examines access to mental-health care, stigma, workplace discrimination and the support available after someone seeking help.

Suicide is a complex phenomenon with multiple contributing factors, but it is preventable, and recovery is possible. If you or someone you know is struggling, you are not alone - please reach out for support:

Talian Kasih Hotline: 15999 (Call) / +6019 26 15999 (WhatsApp)

Health Ministry’s Talian Heal: 15555 (8am - 12am daily)

The Befrienders Hotline: 03-76272929

Agape Counselling Centre Malaysia Hotline: 03-77855955 or 03-77810800

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