They did it! While many would not see the possibility of the Bachelor of Communication (Hons) Public Relations (PR) students organising a psychological-themed campaign, this group of 60 PR students from the Faculty of Arts and Social Science (FAS) proved that possibility and succeeded. They organised the Voice Out Lah! PR Campaign 2020 from 4 February to 5 March 2020 at UTAR Kampar Campus.

Guided by their advisor and FAS academic, Paul GnanaSelvam Pakirnathan, the campaign aimed to raise awareness among UTAR undergraduates on mental health issues caused by lacking interpersonal communication in society. With over 1,000 participants, the students organised exhibitions throughout the campaign duration that addressed various mental health issues, namely anxiety, bipolar disorder and depression.

The exhibitions saw participants learning about mental illness through informative boards that were prepared by the organising committee. Participants also took part in the mental tests and games that were designed to educate them further about mental health problems. Real-life stories of celebrities such as Adele, Emma Stone and Kim Jong Hyun who have personally experienced and overcome mental illnesses were also featured in the exhibitions. At a more relaxing pace, participants were seen enjoying the colour sand art activity, providing therapeutic health benefits. Other activities included a chill corner and confession board, which allowed participants to express their feelings and thoughts through written notes. Concurrent with the Bipolar Disorder exhibition, a talk was given by Michelle Lou from Befrienders Ipoh on ways of identifying and helping people suffering from suicidal thoughts.

The highlight of the campaign saw a forum organised on 5 March 2020. It was officiated by UTAR Vice President for Student Development and Alumni Relations Prof Dr Choong Chee Keong, and attended by FAS Deputy Dean for Student Development and Industrial Training Dr Noew Hooi San, PR Head of Department Dr Maartandan Suppiah, Voice Out Lah! Campaign Advisor Paul G.Selvam, Voice Out Lah! Campaign Chairperson Brandon Quah Wen Hin, Advisor of JOM! RE: 2020 Nur Zahrawaani binti Jasmin and Chairperson of JOM! RE: 2020 Eunice Yap Shan Mei. The forum emphasised on the significance of intrapersonal and interpersonal communication to those suffering from mental health.

“The campaign brought attention to the importance of communication in combating mental illness and it aimed to encourage people suffering from mental health to break away from self-depreciation, insecurity and social stigma. Through communication, others would also understand that mental health is not a sign of weakness. So, by naming this campaign Voice Out Lah!, we wanted to encourage people to voice out their inner selves and seek help,” said Quah.

He added, “As students who are majoring in communications, we wanted to advocate the benefits of interpersonal communication. We realised that people in this generation are not able to communicate effectively with each other because of technological devices. When they meet face to face, they hardly talk. Despite living in a time where technology provides us various means to communicate with each other, no one is actually communicating, which is one of the causes that led to the rising number of mental health issues. With that realisation, an idea stemmed and we decided to organise this campaign. Talking is something people are capable of doing, and thus we want people to listen and talk to each other; exchange, share their thoughts and problems. That is essentially communication.”

“I am proud of the PR students and I am glad to see this campaign efforts continue. It is not only beneficial for the students’ learning but also to the community. When we visited the villages where previous PR campaigns were held, the villagers still remember the students and their contributions. The villagers are eager to welcome the students anytime and some are even willing to open their homes to provide accommodation for the students. The impact of the PR campaign is indeed big. So, congratulations to this batch on another successful campaign,” said Prof Choong.

He also mentioned, “The theme of this forum is not only special but is also apt and relatable to students. During the examination period, it is understandable that students may experience increased stress or pressure, so it is good to bring this awareness so they know where and when to seek help. In UTAR, counsellors are provided and students are welcome to talk to them if they face any problems. In fact, we also have a UTAR Community Counselling Centre (UCCC), established by the Centre for Applied Psychology under FAS. It is open to both UTAR community and the public.”

The panel of the forum consisted of Executive Director of Befrienders Kuala Lumpur (KL) Kenny Lim, Senior Lecturer of Department of Psychology of Help University Alex Lui An Lieh, and UTAR expert in Child and Adolescent Mental Health and FAS academic Pheh Kai Shuen.

In his keynote session, Lui elucidated on depression and explained that it is a condition that is not easily seen. For some individuals, he mentioned that mental illness affects them until they cannot function normally. He also said that people who are depressed have mood disorders, meaning their moods do not change regularly. Normal people often mistook the depressed person as having some behavioural problem because the symptoms are not obvious. He then shared his personal experience of going through depression and how he eventually overcame it.

“Very often we are the biggest critiques of ourselves. The things we say to ourselves can be sometimes negative and it sits in our mental schema. Having gone through it myself, I would like to encourage everyone to change the way we communicate with ourselves. Change those negative vibes and be mindful of the things we say to ourselves. It is also good that we go out and interact with others,” advised Lui.

Lim, on the other hand, spoke about suicide prevention. He briefly introduced Befrienders and its function to help people with mental health issues. He then mentioned the types of problems that callers often spoke about, ranging from relationships, family, social, jobs and illnesses. In Befrienders, according to him, everyone is trained and he explained that one of the things they learnt from suicide prevention is to first recognise the warning signs. The common signs include the caller feeling isolated, sad, hopeless or even helpless, extreme changes in mood, sleeping or eating patterns, and substance abuse like drugs or alcohol.

“So how do you help or support a suicidal person? You don’t necessarily need to be a professional to offer help. It could be as simple as listening to the person. If the suicidal person wants to talk, you should be calm and find a suitable place for the conversation to take place. You can also encourage self-care for that person and spend more time doing things together. Sometimes you can observe the warning signs and you may ask them if they are alright or if they need help. You can even accompany them, if they are fine, to seek for help. It is important, however, to avoid these things; such as being judgemental, interrupting them, brushing them away, arguing with them and giving false assurance,” advised Lim.

At the forum, the panellists were asked a few questions. The first question saw the panellists discussing the current trend of mental health. They agreed that the awareness of mental health is increasing, which is good because survey has showed that people as young as secondary school students also suffer from mental health issues these days. Therefore, the panellists mentioned that the increase in awareness is certainly helpful. However, Pheh pointed out that availability of resources, such as professionals in the field are lacking, while Lui also mentioned that some treatments are too expensive which makes it difficult for people to get treatments.

When speaking about the society’s view on mental health, Lui said, “Many are actually willing to talk about depression but not other mental illnesses because they have this idea that mental illness is something dangerous. For instance, when someone wants to seek professional help for their mental illness, they would opt to use their annual leaves instead of medical leaves because they are afraid that their colleagues would know about their condition. Some older people also think otherwise about seeking professional help – they think seeing a psychiatrist indicates that they are crazy but that is not true.” On a similar note, Lim continued by pointing out that while young people are more willing to get professional help, their parents seem to think otherwise. However, Pheh pointed out a positive note, saying that in this age, people are willing to get more health screenings and do more medical check-ups.

Another positive aspect pointed out by the panellists was that the stigmatisation towards mental health illness was reducing. They explained that more people are now willing to share their experiences, which encouraged others to also open their problems and feelings to others.

When asked of the effects of a healthy relationship towards mental health, Lui defined a healthy relationship as someone who can freely talk about their emotions and thoughts. He emphasised that being able to talk about one’s weaknesses is actually a strength. Meanwhile, Pheh spoke about maintaining a healthy relationship by communicating one’s emotions and responding to others’ emotions.

Lim also said that having someone to talk to is important for a healthy relationship. “Sometimes people just want to talk, and they want someone to listen. The listener doesn’t necessarily need to give advice or solution but just lend a listening ear,” said Lim.

On highlighting the use of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication to help someone suffering from mental health issues, the panellists advised them to be patient, be accepting, and be there for that person. They also advised participants to be kind to themselves, practise self-care, and be careful when interpreting what others said. The forum ended with souvenir presentations from FAS Dean Dr Lee Lai Meng to the panellists.

Voice Out Lah! Campaign is a sub-event to promote the main event: JOM! Re: 2020 Communications Campaign. It was an assignment project for the Event Planning & Management subject for second year PR students.