Intervention: Gooi checking on Tan who is seen lying on a wooden box in her home.
Lacking mental health support, woman’s life spirals downwards
BUKIT MERTAJAM: Until six years ago, she had lived a quiet, stable life, earning a living as a clerk.
Then her mental health began to unravel.
Identified as Tan, the depression that followed steadily eroded her independence, leaving her increasingly reliant on her family at their kampung home here.
Two years ago, the situation took a devastating turn when Tan’s mother, who had been caring for her, developed diabetes and lost a leg to complications from the disease.
Her mother is now staying at a care centre.
With her main caregiver gone, Tan, now 39, became largely confined to a small room in the family home.
Her younger brother, who earns minimum wage as a sales assistant, is the family’s sole breadwinner, while their father struggles with visual and hearing impairments.
With limited finances and care-giving capacity, the family could only provide Tan with basic meals and were unable to tend to her personal hygiene.
Tan’s muscles gradually weakened and atrophied from prolonged confinement indoors.
Her condition came to light after Padang Lalang assemblyman Daniel Gooi visited the family last Monday, accompanied by officers from the state Welfare Department and representatives from Bukit Mertajam Hospital.
Inside the small room, they found Tan lying on a thin mattress. Her nails were overgrown, causing discomfort, and an odour hung in the air.
“When we went to check on her, we found that she was suffering from depression,” Gooi said when contacted, adding that claims circulating on social media about a woman being wrongfully confined were inaccurate.
Tan has since been admitted to Bukit Mertajam Hospital for a comprehensive medical assessment and treatment, including for her mental health condition.
“She has experienced muscle loss from a lack of movement, which has affected her mobility,” Gooi said.
He also described the family home as being in poor condition, located in a secluded, low-lying area overrun with vegetation and prone to flooding during heavy rain.
“We had to clear a path just to access the house and bring her to the hospital,” he said, adding that his constituency office would assist with home repairs, welfare aid and medical support.
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Prem Kumar Chandrasekaran from Penang Adventist Hospital said that under the Mental Health Act, anyone may apply for help if an individual poses a danger to themselves or others.
“Through this process, the court can appoint a guardian or responsible party to ensure the individual receives proper care and treatment,” he said, noting that such situations often point to underlying mental disorders, including severe depression.
If no immediate family member is able or willing to intervene, Dr Prem said the first step should be to lodge a police report.
The police are empowered under the Act to facilitate admission to a medical facility without lengthy court proceedings.
“In such cases, action must be taken on the individual’s behalf, as something is clearly not right,” he said.
He stressed that treatment for mental illness must begin with a thorough psychiatric assessment, as different conditions require different approaches.
Those in need of mental health support may reach out to the Mental Health Psychosocial Support Service (03-2935 9935 or 014-322 3392); Talian Kasih (15999 or 019-261 5999 via WhatsApp); Jakim’s family, social and community care centre (011-1959 8214 via WhatsApp); or Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (03-7627 2929 or email sam@befrienders.org.my).
