KOTA BHARU: Failure to seek early treatment due to having more faith in traditional treatment has resulted in only 70 to 80 per cent of mental patients recovering after being treated in hospital.
Raja Perempuan Zainab II Hospital (HRPZ II) Department of Psychiatry head Dr Fariza Yahya said most mental patients only sought treatment at the hospital after more than two years of experiencing the problem.
“Many of the patients we saw said that their families took them to seek treatment with bomoh (shaman) first. But, when they see the patient’s condition worsening, they will then come to the hospital.
“The delay in getting early treatment has resulted in many patients not recovering 100 per cent due to their (patients’) deteriorating mental capacity,” she told reporters after the launch of the Community Mental Health Centre (MENTARI) project at the Ketereh Health Clinic, here, today.
Also present were Kelantan Social Security Organisation (Socso) director Nora Yaacob and Socso Return to Work division head Rosmawati Mat.
Dr Fariza said that early treatment is crucial to ensuring patients recover and can go about their normal routine, including being able to work, but they must take their medicine as prescribed by doctors.
According to her, for the MENTARI programme, patients undergoing rehabilitation will be given skills in their fields of interest, such as doing business, making ice cream and burgers as well as working with employers.
At the same time, over 2,000 new cases annually involving mental patients, including in terms of behaviour, are recorded seeking treatment at the HRPZ II Department of Psychiatry.
“Within a month, we received 200 to 300 new cases, including teenagers and the youngest is 13 years old. Many children from divorced parents are also found to have mental problems,” she said. – Bernama
