Address mental, health issues at workplace: Niosh

LABUAN, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) stressed the need for urgent steps to be taken to address mental and health issues at workplaces involving employers, employees and the relevant authorities.

Its chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the government should introduce guidelines for promoting mental health at workplaces in order to contribute towards a healthier and productive workforce both mentally and physically.

“Employers should use safety and health committees at the workplace to examine and identify the problems relating to the promotion of mental health care at workplaces and formulate a fundamental programme to address these problems,” he said in a statement to Bernama here today.

He said an Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) which can provide both prevention and early intervention for employees affected by stress, emotional and mental health issues which jeopardize job performance should be introduced at workplaces.

“Funds expended on EAPs have documented investment returns in such areas as productivity and work performance. Companies are finding that investing in employee’ emotional well-being can mean a healthier bottom line.

Mental Health education and promotion, which aims to address the rise of psychosocial problems in our society, is most essential in view of our aspiration to achieve developed nation status which obviously will exert tremendous pressure to deal with our daily responsibilities which could lead to stressful predicaments,” he said.

Lee said psychiatric disorders and other forms of mental illness are tragic reminders of another side of life which is not being overlooked in our quest to become a fully industrialized nation.

"The impact of mental illness on the family and the society is enormous in terms of loss of productivity, legal problems and economic costs.

“Direct costs of mental disorders are high but indirect costs are estimated to be much higher than the direct costs to society and mental disorders also impact on the quality of life in communities which has a direct bearing on society,” he said.

 Lee said in previous years mental health has been a topic of low priority for the government and the community as compared to other health problems.

“But increasingly as reflected worldwide, mental health has gained more prominence.

“In Malaysia we need to do more for those who suffer from mental illness. On the welfare services front, the government should include the mentally ill as disabled persons and brought under the category of ‘orang kurang upaya’ or disabled persons and they should be accorded opportunities in employment to help them return to the mainstream and not be a burden to society,” he said.

--Bernama