By Mr Antonio, Lecturer, Faculty of Education and Social Science
SEGi College Sarawak’s Psychology students from the Faculty of Education and Social Sciences recently had the privilege of attending a learning session conducted by Dr Yap Chin Hon, a practising clinical psychiatrist with clinics in both Kuching and Sibu.
Dr Yap was trained at the University of Malaya, graduating with the Masters in Psychological Medicine, and is a current practising Consultant Psychiatrist in private practice since 1989.
In the lesson, Dr Yap said that in the past, seeking psychiatric help for mental problems was seen as taboo in society. Still, today, thanks to the rising awareness of the importance of mental health, psychiatrists are now acknowledged as an integral part of the medical profession.
He also explained that the difference between poor mental health and mental illness is that while anyone may have good or poor mental health, a psychiatrist’s diagnosis of mental illness means that the person’s mental condition greatly influences their ability to function normally, thereby directly affecting the quality of their life.
The learning session was organised by Laura Albert and Mr Antonio Antoney from the Psychology programme as part of SEGi College’s wonderful initiative to bring the industry into the classroom to give our students the best education possible.