PETALING JAYA: Mental health advocates have welcomed the Health Ministry’s move to expand Talian HEAL 15555 into a full 24-hour service, alongside new features to ensure no caller is left stranded on hold.
Befrienders Kuala Lumpur publicity director Joan Chen said emotional distress does not follow a fixed schedule, and people may need support at any time, including late at night or during the early hours of the morning.
“Introducing callback functions and queue management would also be a positive step towards improving accessibility and reducing the number of callers who are unable to get through,” she said.
She was commenting on the Health Ministry’s initiative to extend the national mental health helpline beyond its current 8am to midnight operations, including introducing queue management systems and callback functions to ensure no caller is left on hold.
Interestingly, the highest proportion of calls to Befrienders KL arrives between noon and 4pm rather than overnight.
“Calls received after midnight are fewer in number, partly because these conversations tend to be longer in duration,” Chen said, noting that while people often struggle when alone with their thoughts at night, the need for emotional support remains constant throughout the day.
At Befrienders KL, psychological and emotional difficulties – including depression, anxiety, and self-harm – form the majority of calls, followed by relationship conflicts involving family, partners, or friends.
Malaysian Mental Health Association president Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj said that individuals experiencing severe anxiety, distress, or suicidal thoughts frequently require immediate assistance in the middle of the night, when family or traditional support systems are unavailable.
“Making the service available round-the-clock would help people seek help before their problems escalate into a crisis,” he said.
Dr Mohanraj added that callback options and queue management are vital for distressed individuals who lack the emotional capacity to wait on hold or make repeated calls. However, he cautioned that extending operating hours must be backed by sufficient trained personnel, clinical supervision, clear suicide-risk protocols, and seamless referral pathways to psychiatric care.
Clinical psychologist Evone Phoo agreed that a callback feature provides crucial reassurance to individuals taking a difficult first step.
“It takes courage to dial that number,” Phoo said. “Being left on hold can feel like being dropped. A callback says, ‘We haven’t forgotten you’.”
