The world’s population witnessed how the studies of children and teens were affected because they cannot attend school face-to-face and unable to meet up with their friends and families from other households due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This has also increased the negative impact experienced by exposed groups such as victims of abuse and domestic violence who are isolated and have difficulty getting access to aid during the pandemic.
The Minister of Health in the message in conjunction with World Mental Health Day said that the existence of global existential uncertainties such as uncertain source of income for most people have further increased the individual’s risk in getting mental health illness such as stress and emotional disturbances.
Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Doctor Awang Haji Mohammad Isham bin Haji Jaafar explained that when the second wave of COVID-19 hit Brunei Darussalam, calls to Talian Harapan 145 within a two month period last year showed a clear increase which is 1,058 calls compared to the number of calls in the previous year. Apart from that, data from the Electronic health record, Bru-HIMS for 2021 showed 1,515 individuals were diagnosed with Anxiety Disorder and over 900 individuals had Depressive Disorders. This showed that the COVID-19 pandemic has been proven to have an extensive impact on mental health.
Apart from that, the importance of mental health in the workplace should also be give attention to. Therefore, the organisation’s intervention is truly needed to prevent mental health risks in the workplace. This year’s celebration carries the theme ‘Make Mental Health and Well-Being for All a Global Priority’ which highlights the importance of mental health in view of the increasing burden to mental health at the global level due to challenges faced by the world in the past few years.
Source: Radio Television Brunei