Facebook Malaysia in partnership with Mental Health Illness Awareness and Support Association (MIASA), Awareness Againsts Suicide (AWAS) Malaysia and BefriendersKL launched #SamaSamaSupport, a campaign which aims to spark conversations, help to normalise discussions around mental health and well-being and provide equitable access to basic mental health tools and resources.

Since the start of COVID-19 pandemic, Malaysia has seen suicide and mental wellbeing cases rising at an alarming rate. According to data from Royal Malaysia Police, between January and July this year, there were 638 suicide cases reported compared to 262 cases during the same period last year. In fact, between January 1 and June 18 this year, helplines managed by Ministry of Health, Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (MWFCD) and Department of Islamic Development (JAKIM) saw 89.4% were related to mental health issues that required emotional and psychological support.

Facebook Malaysia has set a strong foundation in supporting the mental health space as well as continued commitment and investment in wellbeing tools and resources through Instagram’s #RealTalk campaigns which were launched in November 2020 with a follow up edition in February 2021. Instagram will also be announcing it’s third iteration of #RealTalk in coming weeks as continued efforts to ensure well-being and safety of youth.

“Facebook is in a unique position to help make mental health resources more accessible, and to connect people to the support from expert partners such as MIASA Malaysia, AWAS Malaysia and BefriendersKL. Through this joint campaign, we aim to help expand access to mental health and well-being communities, tools and resources on Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. We also hope that through their connections on social media, people will be able to build a network of support they need and increase emotional resilience which plays a role in reducing stigma,” said Nicole Tan, Country Director, Facebook Malaysia.

The #SamaSamaSupport campaign will be focusing on expanded efforts around:

• Supporting and working with mental health partners who are experts within the spectrum of mental health to collectively achieve greater impact and reach.
• Promoting inclusive social connection and community building to help build emotional resilience
• Increasing awareness and education, and providing more equitable access to basic mental health resources and tools.

The press launch also featured a panel discussion moderated by Nicole Tan, themed “Social connection and inclusion as an integral part in building emotional resilience to help destigmatize mental health.” Nicole was joined by Anita Abu Bakar, President MIASA, Alia Ali, founder of AWAS Malaysia, Victor Tan, Deputy Chairman, BefriendersKL and Diana Danielle, local actress and singer who shared her personal experience as someone who has gone through the mental well-being struggle journey.

“We know that a lot needs to change to create a future where no one feels alone and left out with their mental health challenges. We are working hard towards ensuring that everyone gets the mental health support they need, and with the support and campaign like #SamaSamaSupport, we hope to continue to shine light on the issue, help people to feel supported and willing to open up to seek help,” said Anita, President MIASA.

“Mental health challenges are prevalent in society, but it’s viewed as something that shouldn’t be talked about, and something that should be kept quiet. During the pandemic, mental health has really been brought to the forefront as many people feel isolated and uncertain about the future. So when we as a community rally around it and break down the stigma, it will lead to positive changes,” said Alia, founder of AWAS Malaysia.

“Society needs to realize that reaching out for help does not make you weak; in fact, it is a courageous thing to do. Helping oneself should be viewed as something positive and it should be able to influence others to take the step forward as well,” said Victor, Deputy Chairman, BefriendersKL

With the aim to further support mental health organizations in the country, MIASA and AWAS Malaysia will be the first NGOs in Malaysia to partner WhatsApp in launching the WhatsApp chatbots which are free to use aim to provide prompt and reliable information and response to queries about mental health and services provided, 24 hours a day. To use the service, WhatsApp users can save MIASA or AWAS Malaysia numbers to their phone contacts, then text the word ‘Hi’ in a WhatsApp message to begin. The bot will then respond via a series of prompts, covering key queries and information before guiding them to the help they need.

During the campaign period, educational information such as tips and tricks to create social inclusion, building mental resilience, establishing healthy social media boundaries will be shared on Facebook Malaysia’s, MIASA, AWAS and BeFrienders’s social media pages. People can also look forward to real life experience sharing from Diana Danielle, Daphne King and our national cyclist ‘Pocket Rocketman’ and Olympian medalist Datuk Azizulhasni Awang on their journey in overcoming their own set of mental health challenges and tips for the community through their social media platform.

“Mental health is a subject that can no longer be ignored given the rising statistics in the number of men and women in the country who are afflicted with some form of mental disorder. Personally, I would like to normalise getting proper medical help to take care of one’s mental health without feeling ashamed by the negative social stigma. Getting the proper medical help was the best thing I have done to help myself and I hope by sharing my story, more people can take the step needed to take care of their mental well-being ,” said Diana Danielle.

Get resources to take care of your emotional health or find help for a friend, on the Facebook Emotional Health Resource Center. People can also reach out to Befrienders at 03-76272929, MIASA at 1-800-820066 or AWAS Malaysia at 010 2344808.