The Health Bureau (SSM) has launched a “Mental Health Information website” in Chinese, while a Portuguese version of the page will be launched within a month, and members of the public can visit https://www.ssm.gov.mo/apps1/mentalhealth/ch.aspx#clg28356 for mental health information, according to an SSM statement on Saturday.
According to the statement, the website was set up in connection with Sunday’s “World Suicide Prevention Day”, aiming to eliminate the public’s misunderstandings and prejudice of mental illness, enhance the public’s understanding of mental health, raise the willingness of people in need to seek professional support, and promote the overall mental health of Macau residents.
World Suicide Prevention Day (WSPD) was jointly established in 2003 by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP), designated to be held annually on September 10.
The contents of the new website include health and education information, a quick test of one’s own-mental state, community support service resources, information and common misconceptions about depression, relaxation methods in the face of stress, and the introduction and contact information of different levels of services such as community mental health services, mental health services provided by public health centres, and psychiatric specialist services.
The bureau also provides psychiatric outreach services for patients with a serious latent risk of mental illness, and promotes the importance of mental health to the public through various forms including posters, health talks, community awareness campaigns and education, the statement said.
Since last year, the bureau has organised talks on various topics of mental health, such as “Understanding Mental Disorders” and “Stress Management”, with nearly 90 sessions and over 1,400 participants, the statement said.
According to the bureau, the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre’s psychiatric clinic diagnosed 200 people last year, involving the most common mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety or bipolar disorder, which was similar to the annual average in the past.
According to local media reports on Sunday, Caritas Macau said that as of last month it had received nearly 6,947 calls and online requests for help, of which 527 were for about depression and 179 were in danger of suicide due to depression.
This image is a screenshot taken yesterday from the Health Bureau’s (SSM) “Mental Health Information website”.
