KUALA LUMPUR: The number of schizophrenia cases has increased over the past five years, says the Health Ministry.
“There was a 3% increase in patients in 2022 compared to 2021, a 17% increase in 2023, and a 14.6% increase in 2024 compared to 2021,” the ministry said in a parliamentary written reply dated August 28.
In 2022, 7,468 patients were discharged from ministry hospitals, followed by 8,481 in 2023 and 8,303 in 2024.
Of those discharged in 2024, 59.1% were Bumiputera and 38.7% were non-Bumiputera.
“Treatment and rehabilitation for schizophrenia patients include pharmacological treatment (medication), rehabilitation, and psychosocial support, including employment support,” the ministry said.
Schizophrenia patients can be treated as either inpatients or outpatients.
Patients with severe mental disorders requiring hospitalisation receive medication and are monitored in the ward until stable and ready for discharge.
Milder cases can be treated as outpatients at psychiatric specialist clinics.
Patients must continue follow-up treatment and rehabilitation at hospital psychiatric clinics or Community Mental Health Centres (Mentari).
The ministry said ongoing follow-up and psychosocial rehabilitation in community psychiatry are necessary to improve patient functionality and independence.
“Community rehabilitation treatments are provided by Community Psychiatry Teams from hospitals, who conduct home visits in certain cases, such as for patients who default on treatment or require home injections and monitoring,” it said.
“Mental illness rehabilitation at Mentari focuses on restoring patient function and reintegrating them into society,” added the ministry.
The ministry then said that the services emphasise employment support for suitable patients in the open job market, with supervision from the team.
This service has been shown to improve patient quality of life, reduce relapses, and decrease hospital readmissions,” the ministry said.
The ministry was responding to Dr Siti Mastura Muhammad (PN–Kepala Batas) on the number of schizophrenia patients and the treatment provided.
