KUALA LUMPUR, March 14 – More than half of SELangkah’s mental health service users are at risk of harming themselves or suicide, according to SELangkah data.
State Public Health, Unity, Women and Family Development Committee chairperson Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud said a total of 87,877 users have utilised the Mental Sehat service on the SELangkah app since its launch on August 30, 2021, until February 28, 2023.
The SELangkah application’s Mental Sehat feature provides two types of screening tests: the Risk Screening Test and Mental Health Screening Test. The former identifies users who may be at risk of self-harm or suicide, while the latter measures an individual’s overall mental health level.
Dr Siti Mariah said 58 per cent of users who took the Risk Screening Test are at risk of harming themselves or committing suicide. The other 42 per cent of users have no risk. Those who are identified as at risk are referred to the Selangor Mental Health (Sehat) hotline and the state government’s psychiatric subsidy programme.
The Mental Health Screening Test, which measures a person’s mental well-being, offers assessments like the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21).
Out of those who took the PSS-10 test, 65 per cent scored at a moderate level, while 13 per cent experienced high levels of perceived stress, and 22 per cent scored at a normal level. According to the DASS-21 test, 51 per cent of users had a high level of stress, 35 per cent experienced severe depression, and 57 per cent had severe anxiety.
“Based on the recorded statistics and trends, the majority of users are among youth and adults, while in terms of gender, the majority of Mental Sehat users are women,” Dr Siti Mariah told the Selangor State Legislative Assembly today.
Dr Siti Mariah was responding to Kampung Tunku assemblywoman Lim Yi Wei who asked for data on the number of Mental Sehat users and the breakdown of those at risk identified through the screening tests.
The SELangkah app’s Mental Sehat feature has experienced annual growth in the number of new users, with 30,675 users in 2021, and 34,156 users in 2022. As of February 2023, the number of new users reached 23,045, which is more than two-thirds of last year’s total.
According to data, two-thirds of Mental Sehat’s total 87,877 users are aged 40 and below. Nearly 60 per cent of users are female, while 74 per cent of users are Malay, followed by 11 per cent of Chinese users, categorised by ethnicity.
Dr Siti Mariah said all Mental Sehat users who undergo the screening test will be referred and advised to watch 60 psychoeducational videos that have been provided on the app, covering various topics related to stress, depression, anxiety, coping strategies, and related issues.
Users are also advised to use the Sehat helpline and connect with certified counsellors, and those who are eligible can receive the subsidised psychiatric treatment incentive provided by the Selangor state government.
According to data from SELangkah and YouTube, there have been a total of 61,468 views on all 60 psychoeducational videos, as of February 28, 2023. Videos with the most views are on the topics of stress, panic, and anxiety.
