SANDAKAN: The 2019 National Health and Morbidity Survey revealed that the prevalence of depression among adults in Malaysia stood at 2.3 percent.

Sandakan MP Vivian Wong Shir Yee noted that this figure had risen to 4.6 per cent, according to data from the two most recent National Health and Morbidity Surveys conducted in 2023.

“What is worrying is that the latest report also indicates an increase in the prevalence of mental health issues among children and teenagers aged five to 15, rising from 7.9 per cent in 2019 to 16.5 per cent in 2023,” she said. 

Wong emphasised that the burden of mental illness not only affects individuals but also impacts their families, society, the economy, and the nation’s development when individuals are unable to continue their education or employment due to illness.