There are several serious issues that require attention with regard to persons with mental illness. Some of them are listed below-
1. Discrimination in the workplace.
2. Discrimination with regard to insurance policies — mental illness not covered.
3. Third generation drugs (better drugs) are still not available in public hospitals due to limited budget.
4. Gross shortage of clinical psychologists — only two in Ministry of Health hospitals (a couple more are in training), also forensic psychiatrists.
5. No uniform consent forms for treatments such as electroconvulsive therapy (highly effective for depression).
6. Not enough psychiatrists working on the 70 per cent of persons incarcerated for drugs who have psychiatric co-morbidities.
7. Pensions Act does not allow for derivative pensions to be given to mentally ill children.
8. Only relatives can make decisions for involuntary patients.
Philomena tTt
This information was given by writer Fifa Rahman of Malaysian Insider. I would like to draw the attention of the government to issue no 7. I hope the government will take do steps to amend the Pensions Act so as to allow derivative pensions to be given to mentally ill children
