PSIMA urges Malaysia to build a National Psychological Infrastructure

The Malaysian Psychological Association (PSIMA) has called on the government to develop a National Psychological Infrastructure as a national strategic agenda to strengthen the public's mental resilience. Its president, Assoc Prof Dr Shazli Ezzat Ghazali, said a treatment-and-crisis-response approach is no longer enough, citing a rise in suicide cases to 1,114 in 2024 and nearly a million adults with depression under NHMS 2023. He proposed a psychological ecosystem spanning schools, universities, workplaces, communities and primary healthcare.