CUCMS Psychology students rally on to raise awareness on the importance of a healthy state of mind
“Worldwide, 800,000 people die by suicide each year - one every 40 seconds - making it the second leading cause of death among young people (aged 15 to 29)” said the World Health Organization (WHO) , spotlighting suicide prevention as the theme for this year's World Mental Health Day.”
Cyberjaya, 17th October 2019 – To celebrate World Mental Health Day 2019, The Psychology Students at CUCMS organized events for students across the campus sites, discussing the importance of self-care and how to manage your mental wellbeing and recognize mental health symptoms.
Plenty of activities were organized including game sessions, information about mental health, sales of food and beverages and a talk on suicide prevention by BefriendersKL. Stephanie Claudia Sua Jee Vei, director of the event, described the programme as wanting to “strive to engage students through interactive activities as opposed to passive educational tabling”.
Stephanie Claudia Sua Jee Vei, director of the event
Though the information was conveyed through a series of fun activities, the event focused on important facts and figures of mental health and suicide prevention and strategies that would give CUCMS students a more knowledgeable perspective on how to approach helping someone who may need it most.
This was achieved through a talk by Kenny Lim the executive director of BefriendersKL that got students to be engaged in conversations about mental health. Lim shared a national statistic that 40% of Malaysian teenagers suffer from some sort of mental health issue and that 1 in 5 teens aged 13 to 17 are depressed.
Lim shared that the most important thing we can do when we notice our friends or family members struggling with mental health is accepting the fact that the individual is going through some kind of issue in his or her life.
“We should strive to lend an ear to them and listen to their problems without judgment. When we’re talking about emotional support, it’s important that we don’t dictate them on what to do or how to feel; we should take care not to belittle how they are feeling by saying things like: “You’re not supposed to feel suicidal.” Be emphatic and patient with them, but above all, respect them” he added.
A talk by Kenny Lim, the executive director of BefriendersKL.
Another Psychology student, Kelly Loh said in order to overcome mental health issues, “youngster have to be active and take the initiative to make new friends to improve their social connections. Reserve some 'me time' to relax the mind and release negative emotions in an effective way”.
Getting support
If you are struggling and you ever find yourself needing someone to talk to, needing a safe space, needing someone who would listen with no judgements, the CUCMS Student Counsellors are here for you. Alternately, you can call the BefriendersKL hotline for free at 03-7956 8145.
Please contact them and they will be happy to offer their support.
