Know more of bipolar disorder as a form of disability

Invited to be Interviewed by IIUM.FM for the Programme Empathy is Key: Creating Awareness of Disabilities with entitle discussion on "Know More of Bipolar Disorder as a Form of Disability. The content of discussion encompassed definition of bipolar, symptoms, causal factors, types of bipolar and its differences, bipolar as disability, treatment and intervention, and how general people may help

The implication of Knowledge Transfer Project towards the understanding and skills of children’s developmental psychology among PPMS and PPMS PPKI in the district of Sabak Bernam

PPM (Pembantu Pengurusan Murid) refers to an assistant teacher for pra-sekolah (pre-school) children while PPM PPKI (Pembantu Pengurusan Murid Program Pendidikan Khas Integrasi) is an assistant teacher for special needs children in public schools. The majority of PPMs and PPMs PPKI who have been appointed do not have the necessary qualification in child psychology or early childhood education. Despite the lack of knowledge on child psychology and special needs children, they work with these children for almost 25 hours per week. In relation to this, a project under the Knowledge Transfer Programme was conducted to provide psychological knowledge and skills to PPMs and PPMs PPKI. This study attempts to investigate whether the psychological knowledge and skills of PPMs and PPMs PPKI have increased after the project. It is hypothesized that the psychological knowledge and skills of PPMs and PPMs PPKI would have increased after the project. Fifty-four PPMs and PPMs PPKI participated in the project. Five modules of the project were delivered in five different workshops that were carried out on different dates. To know whether PPMs’ and PPMs PPKI’s knowledge and skills have increased after the project, pre- and post-assessments were conducted before and after the project. The results of paired sample t-test indicate that the overall scores of the pre-test are significantly lower than those of the post-tests: pre-programme (M=51.94, SD=2.82) and post-programme (M=58.79, SD=3.69) with t (34) =-11.11, p=0.000. The results imply that the project is effective in increasing the psychological knowledge and skills of PPMs and PPMs PPKI

Knowledge, attitude, and confidence on the use of cognitive behavior therapy for weight loss and maintenance among healthcare providers

Introduction: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been found to be effective in reducing and maintaining weight loss rather than diet and/or exercise alone. Eventhough CBT remain the cornerstone of obesity treatment and should be included in every weight management program, very limited healthcare providers are trained in using CBT, especially in Malaysia. Current study aims to examine the knowledge, attitude, and confidence on the use of CBT among healthcare providers after they have been exposed in a brief CBT training for weight management. Method: 36 healthcare providers have attended a 3-hour face-to-face seminar on CBT for weight loss and maintenance. The modules of the training are i) Introduction to CBT, ii) CBT and its Relationship with Weight Loss and Maintenance, iii) Diet Traps, and iv) Cognitive-Behavioral Strategies to Reinforce Weight Management Behaviors. 16 questions were developed to assess knowledge, attitude, and confidence to use CBT for weight management. Their level of understanding for each modules was also assessed at the end of the seminar. The questionnaire was answered by the participants before and after the seminar. Results: Descriptive analyses showed an increase in participants’ knowledge (Correct answers: Pre-score=121, Post-score=274), attitudes on the importance of CBT in weight management (Rated as Very Important: Pre-score=71.4% Post-score=92.9%), and confidence in using CBT for weight management (Rated as Very Confidence: For self: Pre-score=25%, Post-score=42.9%; For patients: Pre-score=21.4%, Post-score=32.9%). Level of understanding for the four modules were rated favorably by the participants at the end of the seminar. Conclusion: Despite a small sample size, results of the study indicate that the training was well received by the healthcare providers. However, in order to enhance confidence in using CBT as part of weight management among patients, further training need to be conducted

Can dietitian be effective in using CBT for dietary behaviour change?

Introduction: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) has been effective in treating not only mental health issues but also many other chronic illnesses such as diabetes and overweight/obesity. The basic premise of CBT is ‘what we think will affect the way we feel and behave’. Plan: The symposium will help to answer some questions you may have on CBT. The topics that will be covered include: i) What is CBT, ii) Why we need to use CBT, and iii) How to do CBT as a dietitian. Some suggestions on the training for CBT as a dietitian will also be presented for continuous education. Conclusion: The participants are invited to come to the session with their beginner’s mind to enjoy CBT-ing

A study protocol on the adaptation and validation of the Malay version of the Short Grit Scale (grit-s) on Malaysian university students

Introduction: Grit, an individual’s perseverance and passion for long-term goals, is a mouldable construct with contributions to success in many life domains. Grit’s cultivation in Malaysia can begin with a suitable instrument apt to measure it. The study aims to adapt and validate the Short Grit Scale (Grit-S), the Western-derived instrument to measure grit, as an economical justification to developing a new instrument, which is time consuming and costly. Methods: Employing a survey design, students from different faculties at one of the local universities in Klang Valley, Malaysia (N=350) who are bilingual in English and Malay will be targeted. The adaptation process will begin with translation of the English items into Malay, while observing the guidelines suggested by the International Test Commission. Thereafter, the validation process of the Malay Grit-S with the criterion measures will follow. The IBM SPSS software will be used to analyse the internalconsistency, stability, and equivalence reliabilities, as well as the concurrent, convergent and divergent validities, alongside its factorial structure analysis. Expected results: The Malay Grit-S is expected to demonstrate a probable two-factor structure as was originally posited. However, dissimilarities may arise and can be attributed to cultural differences, as the collectivist setting of Malaysia differs from the individualist setting it was conceptualized in. Conclusion: With an adapted and validated instrument to measure grit specific to the Malaysian context, the study aspires to contribute to grit knowledge, as well as availing a fitting instrument for its measurement, which precedes efforts in fostering grit for positive life outcomes, particularly in academic and education settings

Treatment for anxiety disorders in Malaysia

This current study aims to systematically review the treatments for anxiety disorders in Malaysia. PsycINFO, MEDLINE databases, and 28 local journals were used to search published papers in this area. Eight articles were subjected to review after excluding 273 papers that did not meet the inclusion criteria. A total of 598 participants with various types of anxiety disorders were included in the review. Based on the findings, the combination of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy provided better treatment outcomes if compared to psychotherapy or pharmacotherapy alone. The combination of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and cognitive behaviour therapy was considered as one of the most effective treatment to treat patients with anxiety disorders in Malaysia. This is in line with the clinical practice guidelines from the Ministry of Health Singapore and Canada. Even though there were some limitations in the methodology and reporting of the results, it can be concluded that efforts have been taken to conduct studies related to treatments for patients with anxiety disorders in Malaysia. Future studies are suggested to make conscious efforts to overcome these limitations