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I would like to inform everyone out there about the importance of mental health . I feel a sense of duty to help others .
You may be struggling or know someone who is struggling . You may be a caregiver to someone experiencing mental health challenges or who has been diagnosed with a mental illness . I would like everyone to feel that they matter and to know that they are cared for and supported . No one should suffer in silence . Ultimately , I would like to give a voice to the voiceless .
Do you think mental health is an illness often overlooked , and how important is it to destigmatise mental illness ? Mental illness was overlooked before the Covid-19 pandemic . Mental health , in general , was very much in the shadows , often stigmatised and seen as taboo . The mental health spectrum is broad , and mental illness has been portrayed and understood to be a psychotic illness . It is unfortunate that , in the past , we have not done enough to prevent those with lived experience from suffering from abuse , discrimination and stigma .
And in the more significant part of this spectrum are other conditions like depression and anxiety . These are people who often suffer in silence because they are afraid that people won ’ t understand them . With support , empathy and proper treatment , these conditions can easily be controlled and cured in many cases .
Nonetheless , I feel that the pandemic
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has brought a silver lining . It has created much more awareness about mental health . I think we now understand that more people are struggling with their mental health than we think .
At the same time , I think it ’ s important not to judge those ignorant about mental health . We must take note of and tackle the different perceptions of mental health because there are many . There is a need to educate the less informed from their perspective . There is a need to normalise conversations on mental health and mental illness .
What is your personal experience in dealing with mental health issues ? You have also managed your mental health very well . How did you do it ? I have struggled with anxiety since I was a teenager . To say this out loud took some time . I started to speak about my personal experience during an interview in 2019 . Since then , I have gotten so much support from the public . People need to know they are not alone . The fact that I can comfort just one person with a lived experience truly goes a long way for me .
If you do not accept yourself with all your strengths and weaknesses , how will anyone ? My personal experience in managing anxiety has taught me to accept my flaws , be more self-aware , and manage my emotions internally . The state of our mind cannot be seen . The faster I learnt to manage my thoughts , the quicker I
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I have struggled with anxiety since I was a teenager . To say this out loud took some time . I started to speak about my personal experience during an interview in 2019 . Since then , I have gotten so much support from the public . People need to know they are not alone . The fact that I can comfort just one person with a lived experience truly goes a long way for me . |
TENGKU Puteri Iman Afzan cofounded The Green Ribbon Group in January 2021 . She set it up with her best friend , Puteri Nor Arianie Yasmin . Puteri Nor has always supported and encouraged her to share her story so that others sharing similar challenges know they are not alone .
Together with them in the team are Marsya Shamshul Bahari and Maryam Johan .
“ Things happened at such a fast pace ! I felt it was time to set up something on my own . I had planned on doing this in 2017 , but it wasn ’ t the right time . The pandemic just added to the urgency of launching my own platform ,” Tengku Puteri Iman Afzan told The Health .
“ I work with a small team of three exceptional women who share my vision and mission . Green Ribbon Group ’ s role is to reach out to as many stakeholders as possible to deep-dive into their concerns and find a way to bridge those gaps .
“ We see ourselves as aggregators in the mental health community . We do not wish to replicate existing initiatives . Instead , we are here to empower organisations and individuals who have been working tirelessly on mental health . We also hope to bring in new stakeholders and really push the message that everyone has a role to play in mental health advocacy .
“ I resonate a lot with the quote , ‘ We rise by lifting others ’. If I were , to sum up , the essence of the Green Ribbon Group , this would be it .”
Green Ribbon is a platform to raise awareness on the importance of mental health and fundraises and channels resources to where it is most needed . It collaborates with stakeholders on specific demographics , segments and challenges concerning mental health .
She believes Malaysia can contribute to global standards in mental healthcare . Green Ribbon aims to live up to the recognition accorded them by World Federation for Mental Health , the World Health Organisation and other United Nations agencies .
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