I Want To Get Mental Health Treatment In Malaysia. Where Do I Start?

First of all, I’m so proud of you! Whether it was an easy or tough decision, I will always applaud anyone who wants to seek help for their mental health. Whether you’re seeking a therapist just to vent, you’re going through some momentary life problems or even if you feel incredibly hopeless with no way out; your reasons for seeking therapy will always be valid. If your situation is a lot more dire and it’s affecting your day to day life, you are also valid and should seek help.

Before you start, it’s important to know the types of help you can seek and which may be suitable for you; a clinical psychologist, psychiatrist or counsellor.

There’s no doubt that the extent of help is pretty wide, though limited, in Malaysia. But as many of you may not have any experience in seeking help, it may be quite a daunting task.

One of my favourite charts was released from Mental Health Malaysia:

That is a simplified version on how to seek help and is a worthwhile guide to keep. But if you need a more detailed version (mainly based on my experience and research), here’s how you can seek help for your mental health.

The Government Hospital Route

This is a well known and recommended route if you’re looking for a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist, especially if you have financial limitations. You will go through these steps:

1. See a general practitioner (whether it be from a government or private clinic) to explain your mental health issues.
2. Once they have assessed your situation and agree that you need to see a specialist, the GP will write a letter for you to deliver to either your chosen doctor or a doctor they recommend in a government hospital. If you prefer to keep the letter general (as you are not certain which doctor to go to and would like to keep your options open) please state so.
3. Contact the hospital the psychologist is working in, or even the hospital itself, to schedule an appointment. Inquire what sort of documents are required for the appointment.
4. Bring required documents and attend said appointment.

Pros:

This route is much more affordable, where the cost of seeing a psychiatrist in a government hospital can be free as long as you choose to be in the third class.

Cons:

It’s not that easy to book an appointment in government hospitals, as there are many others seeking treatment as well and there aren’t enough doctors to go around. You can upgrade though, but if you opt for the second class treatment it’s RM300 per session, and for the first class it’s RM1,125, making it unaffordable.

Even so, don’t lose hope! There are hospitals such as Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) that allow walk ins as long as you have the letter, and as they are just as affordable, though it’s still recommended to make an appointment. For HKL, you will pay an initial registration fee of RM30 and then every subsequent appointment is RM5.

So don’t despair over the cons, it’s still worth seeing a GP and getting a letter to aid you in your quest for a better mental health.

The NGO Route

If you’re desperate and just need to talk to someone, you can contact the NGOs below:

Befrienders

It’s so well known that I feel like I don’t need to mention them, but I want to insist on this. They have helped countless of people (myself included) be it whether they’re on the verge of a mental breakdown, or just need to talk. They even allow you to come over and see them if you can, giving you a safe, non-judgmental space to let your heart out. All of this for completely free.

Added bonus: They have also been known to respond to emails too, if you’re only able to write your feelings out and not comfortable with talking to someone over the phone, this may be a good option. But their replies may be too slow, so unless you’re okay with waiting, this may not be the best option if you’re really not in a good state.

Kuala Lumpur
Phone number: 03–7956 8145
Email: sam@befrienders.org.my
Website: https://www.befrienders.org.my/

For other states, you can refer to to this link. Take note that they each have different opening days and hours.

Malaysia Mental Health Association (MMHA)

MMHA has been around for years now and they have always championed the need for Malaysia to care for their mental health, even more so now. You can see a therapist in their room for just RM20 per session, and the therapist are usually Masters students in Psychology. This can be a hit or miss in getting a good counsellor, but you can be sure that MMHA will do the very best they can to ensure your mental health is well taken care of.

Phone number: (+603) — 7782 5499
Email: admin@mmha.org.my
Website: http://mmha.org.my/

Pros:
They truly offer a place for you to talk to someone and help you get your thoughts out of your chest, and possibly even give you words of advice to help you move forward especially if your situation needs mostly guidance rather than clinical care. It’s also affordable, and they do offer you the same assurance as any professional in keeping your issues private and confidential.

Cons:
There are time limitations for places like these as some of them are only open for a limited time, and depending on where you live may not be viable if you live far from popular urban areas and need to see someone face to face. For Befrienders you may not get through when calling as there may be a lot of people calling in at the same time.

It’s also important to note that they may not be professional psychiatrist and psychologists as they are often volunteers or psychology students, so if your mental health situation is dire, they may need to direct you to someone more professional.

The Private Institutions Route

This is a route many of us cannot afford, but I would like to highlight it anyways as sometimes it’s important to consider that your health, even mental health, is worth a lot more than you realise. So if you’re seeking professional therapy, you can go through these options:

Private hospitals

Private hospitals will, more often than not, have a psychiatrist and psychologist on their panel of doctors. Be sure to call the hospital of your choice to see which doctor is available at a timing of your preference. If possible, do some research on the doctor as well. Despite giving higher quality of service, private hospitals has the same issue as government hospitals, in which there just aren’t enough doctors for those in need, so you may also face the same struggle in booking an appointment as it is in a government hospital.

Private Clinics

Private clinics are usually the best in getting treatment faster, as they usually have better and more viable opening hours (such as being available after working hours and weekends). There are a few type of clinics to look out for, but the most popular for therapy are the premium private clinics. They offer counselling services even during after working hours, and their service is top notch.

Private clinics can be a hit or miss in terms of affordability. There are actually two types of clinics to look out for: there are the clinics run by private hospital doctors, and then there’s the premium private clinics.

Clinics run by private hospital doctors can possibly a more affordable option in the private sector, as these clinics tend to offer more affordable options from their hospital counterparts. Even so, they could be just as pricey

Pros:

Compared to government options, you don’t need a recommendation letter. Just make an appointment and you’re set. They’re also well educated in all matters of mental health, which means you can be assured that you will get better in time as these doctors will look out for you as best as they can. If you

Cons:

Where there is professionalism, there is of course a high cost. A session can cost as low as RM150 and up to RM300, and this does not include medication.

The only tip I can give you for this is to look for doctors who have their own clinic. The cost for these are usually more affordable, though do expect to still fork out around RM100 minimum per session, with the cost likely going up depending on the severity of your condition.

If you’re seeing a psychiatrist to get medication, I will share about my experience soon if you need to know more about medication for medical health.

For a more detailed breakdown on the cost of seeking mental health, I highly recommend reading Costs of Mental Health Treatment in Malaysia by Funemployed. For those in need of a Malay version on how to seek help, MindaKami has a series of tweets worth looking through and sharing with those in need.

I hope this article helps you, and if I missed out on anything or made a mistake do correct me. As always, never be afraid to seek help for your mental health here in Malaysia!