Publications (6) View all
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Article: Consequences of "inevitable suicide".
Journal of psychiatric practice 09/2012; 18(5):319-20. -
Article: General health mediates the relationship between loneliness, life satisfaction and depression
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ABSTRACT: ObjectiveTo examine the associations between life satisfaction, loneliness, general health and depression among 172 medical students in Malaysia. MethodParticipants completed a questionnaire battery, which included the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Beck’s Depression Inventory, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. ResultsLife satisfaction was negatively and significantly correlated with suicidal attitudes, loneliness and depression; and positively with health, which was negatively and significantly correlated with depression and loneliness. Self-concept was negatively correlated with loneliness and depression, depression was positively and significantly correlated with loneliness. Mediational analyses showed that the effects of loneliness and life dissatisfaction on depression were fully mediated by health. ConclusionEven though less satisfied, and particularly lonelier, individuals are more likely to report higher levels of depression, this is only the case because both higher loneliness and life dissatisfaction are associated with poorer health. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders in developing nations.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 04/2012; 42(2):161-166. · 2.70 Impact Factor -
Article: Psychiatric morbidity among adult patients in a semi-urban primary care setting in Malaysia.
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ABSTRACT: Screening for psychiatric disorders in primary care can improve the detection rate and helps in preventing grave consequences of unrecognised and untreated psychiatric morbidity. This is relevant to the Malaysian setting where mental health care is now also being provided at primary care level. The aim of this paper is to report the prevalence of psychiatric illness in a semi-urban primary care setting in Malaysia using the screening tool Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ). This is a cross-sectional study carried out in a semi-urban primary healthcare centre located south of Kuala Lumpur. Systematic random sampling was carried out and a total of 267 subjects completed the PHQ during the study period. The proportion of respondents who had at least one PHQ positive diagnosis was 24.7% and some respondents had more than one diagnosis. Diagnoses included depressive illness (n = 38, 14.4%), somatoform disorder (n = 32, 12.2%), panic and anxiety disorders (n = 17, 6.5%), binge eating disorder (n = 9, 3.4%) and alcohol abuse (n = 6, 2.3%). Younger age (18 to 29 years) and having a history of stressors in the previous four weeks were found to be significantly associated (p = 0.036 and p = 0.044 respectively) with PHQ positive scores. These findings are broadly similar to the findings of studies done in other countries and are a useful guide to the probable prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in primary care in other similar settings in Malaysia.International Journal of Mental Health Systems 07/2009; 3(1):13. -
Article: A profile of cancer patient outcomes from a tertiary care teaching hospital in Malaysia.
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ABSTRACT: Abstract INTRODUCTION: The aim of this paper was to determine the sociodemographic and cancer characteristics of patients with cancer at a tertiary care centre. METHODS: For the study, 80 newly-diagnosed cancer patients were selected and interviewed using structured questionnaires that included sociodemographic and cancer characteristic profiles. At the end of the study period of two years, the survivorship status of the patients was determined. RESULTS: Gender, occupational status, type of cancer and stage of cancer were found to be significantly associated with the survival status among the study group of cancer patients. Results of logistic regression analysis showed that deceased patients were significantly more likely to be pensioners rather than employed, aged 60-69 years rather than 40-49 years, to have all other types of cancer rather than breast cancer, and to be in Stage 3 or 4 of the disease rather than in Stage 1 of the disease. CONCLUSION: There is a greater necessity for psychosocial research in order to achieve optimal health for patients with cancer, and in turn, to improve the survival of cancer patients. PMID: 19644630 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] Free full textSingapore medical journal 07/2009; 50(7):720-723. · 0.73 Impact Factor -
Article: General health mediates the relationship between loneliness, life satisfaction and depression. A study with Malaysian medical students.
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ABSTRACT: To examine the associations between life satisfaction, loneliness, general health and depression among 172 medical students in Malaysia. Participants completed a questionnaire battery, which included the 12-item General Health Questionnaire, Beck's Depression Inventory, the Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. Life satisfaction was negatively and significantly correlated with suicidal attitudes, loneliness and depression; and positively with health, which was negatively and significantly correlated with depression and loneliness. Self-concept was negatively correlated with loneliness and depression, depression was positively and significantly correlated with loneliness. Mediational analyses showed that the effects of loneliness and life dissatisfaction on depression were fully mediated by health. Even though less satisfied, and particularly lonelier, individuals are more likely to report higher levels of depression, this is only the case because both higher loneliness and life dissatisfaction are associated with poorer health. These results are discussed in terms of their implications for the diagnosis and treatment of mental health disorders in developing nations.Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology 03/2007; 42(2):161-6. · 2.70 Impact Factor
