Bil. 5/2018

Page 1

RAMADAN BULAN YANG PENUH KEBERKATAN

BERSYUKUR kita ke hadrat Ilahi kerana diberikan nikmat kehidupan untuk sekali lagi menjalani ibadah puasa di bulan Ramadan pada tahun ini. Dapat dilihat bahawa terdapat golongan yang mula berjinak-jinak ke masjid untuk bertarawih dan ada juga yang mula belajar apakah itu nikmat membayar zakat fitrah walaupun zakat harta tidak pernah dibayar.

Apa jua pun tujuan mereka untuk mula beramal yang penting adalah niat yang telah mereka tanamkan sebelum melakukan sesuatu perbuatan murni itu. Mari kita sama-sama muhasabah amalan yang telah kita lakukan sepanjang bulan Ramadan ini dan cuba meneliti sama ada amalan tersebut dilakukan dengan penuh keikhlasan untuk mencari keredhaan Allah atau semata-mata untuk menempatkan diri dalam kalangan masyarakat.

Memperbanyakkan amalan di bulan Ramadan sedangkan di bulan-bulan lain amalannya hanya cukup-cukup makan dan kadang-kadang berhutang dengan Allah boleh diumpamakan seperti berbuat baik hanya ketika orang yang kita takuti berada di hadapan kita. Ingatlah bahawa Allah maha mengetahui. Salah satu amalan yang digemari di bulan Ramadan ialah amalan bersedekah. Amalan ini adalah suatu amalan mulia yang dapat mengurangkan beban golongan susah.

Abu Hurairah R.A. berkata: “Rasulullah SAW telah bersabda: Sesiapa yang bersedekah walaupun bernilai sebutir tamar daripada usaha baik - kerana Allah tidak menerima kecuali yang baik - sesungguhnya Allah akan menerima dengan tangan kanan-Nya kemudian dikembangkan sebagaimana kamu mengembangbiakkannya untuk binatang ternakan sehinggalah menjadi seperti gunung.” (Diriwayatkan oleh al-Bukhari).

Menurut hadis ini, Allah menggalakkan kita bersedekah dengan harta yang baik dan juga dengan keikhlasan yang tinggi. Tidak guna kita berebut-rebut ketika bulan Ramadan ini bersedekah kepada fakir miskin semata-mata untuk mengejar publisiti untuk organisasi kita. Dalam mengejar keuntungan organisasi, kita perlulah menitikberatkan elemen etika.

‘ Integriti Menjana Kecemerlangan & Jati Diri ’

BERSEMPENA Ramadan ini, peniaga boleh mengambil kesempatan untuk beramal dengan melakukan kebaikan seperti melebihkan timbangan dan tidak berkira mengenai harga ketika menjual kerana perniagaan itu juga suatu ibadah.

Walaupun pada ketika ini, telah wujud ganjaran untuk organisasi yang menitikberatkan tanggungjawab sosial korporat, namun tujuan asalnya adalah bukan untuk bermegah-megah. Apalah gunanya anugerah tersebut jika sebagai penerimanya, kita sebenarnya tidak melakukan perbuatan sedekah itu dengan nilai keikhlasan yang terbaik.Dalam kerancakan bulan Ramadan, kita dihujani dengan banyak pilihan ketika menjelangnya waktu berbuka. Setelah penat bekerja, ada yang mengambil jalan mudah untuk berbuka di luar ataupun membeli juadah di luar.

Dengan kesibukan tugasan, kadangkala membuatkan kita tidak mempunyai masa untuk memasak untuk berbuka puasa. Walau apa pun cara kita berbuka puasa, kita tidak boleh melupakan perkara fardu yang perlu dibuat seperti menunaikan tanggungjawab solat Maghrib dan juga tuntutan untuk tidak membazir ketika berbuka puasa.

Perkara yang amat menarik hati ketika menjenguk ke gerai-gerai yang menjual juadah berbuka adalah sikap sesetengah peniaga yang mengambil kesempatan untuk mengeksploitasi pelanggan.Rasulullah SAW pernah bersabda yang bermaksud “Abu Hurairah berkata: Rasulullah SAW melarang daripada melakukan jual beli secara campak batu dan juga jual beli secara penipuan” (Diriwayatkan oleh Muslim).

Kesimpulan yang boleh didapati daripada hadis tersebut ialah, Rasulullah SAW melarang umatnya daripada melakukan penipuan dalam menjalankan aktiviti jual beli.

Pernah suatu ketika Rasulullah SAW lalu berhampiran seorang lelaki yang menjual makanan yang kering, lalu baginda benamkan tangannya ke dalam makanan kering itu dan didapati di bawahnya basah.

Lelaki itu memberi alasan ia telah terkena hujan, maka diletakkan di bawah. Maka baginda bersabda: “Sesiapa yang menipu maka dia bukan daripada golongan kita.”

Jika kita lihat perbuatan lelaki tersebut bolehlah dikatakan tidak seberapa dibandingkan dengan perbuatan segelintir peniaga di bulan Ramadan yang menjual makanan basi yang boleh mendatangkan mudarat kepada pembeli.

Dengan bermotifkan keuntungan yang tidak seberapa, peniaga sanggup mempermainkan etika yang sudah sewajarnya diikuti dan dilaksanakan. Jika dilihat dari sudut sejarah, Nabi ialah seorang peniaga yang dikenali dengan sifat kejujurannya yang amat tinggi dan terpuji. Kejujuran Baginda menyebabkan beliau digelar ‘al-Amin’.

Oleh itu, wajarlah bersempena dengan bulan Ramadan ini, peniaga mengambil kesempatan untuk beramal dengan melakukan kebaikan seperti melebihkan timbangan dan tidak berkira mengenai harga ketika menjual kerana perniagaan itu juga suatu ibadah.

Akhir sekali, sorotilah kehidupan Rasulullah yang bersederhana dalam melakukan aktiviti seharian. Beribadahlah kerana Allah dan bukan kerana manusia. Jika kita tanamkan sifat taat kepada Allah, maka kehidupan kita akan dipelihara dari melakukan perkara-perkara mungkar. Selamat menjalani bulan Ramadan yang penuh dengan ganjarannya.

Page 2

22 Mei 2018Utusan Online

Bil. 5/2018

Page 1

Understanding depression: Why we need to snap out of the stigma

A persistent low mood and lack of focus are two symptoms of depression.

Suicide reports affect people everywhere and the impact is widespread. Following the deaths of designer Kate Spade and chef Anthony Bourdain, suicide, suicide prevention and depression are now topics of public interest, prompting everyone to look around and see if someone they know is going through depression.

The challenge is, nobody knows who can have depression. There is a genetic link to the illness – depression is known to run in families – but it is also brought on by low serotonin levels in the brain, deterioration of physical health, and major life events such as changes in relationships or stress at the workplace.

Most people “get the blues” for reasons like a romantic breakup, a kerfuffle at the office, or a death in the family. But these extremely sad feelings or emotions are temporary. It doesn’t work like that for people with depression.

“There are people who can’t get out of this state (of being depressed),” says Malaysian Mental Health Association president Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj.

“If someone displays a persistent low mood for two weeks, and shows a loss of interest in pleasurable activities, and displays symptoms like loss of appetite and weight, irritability, feelings of guilt or hopelessness, and the inability to concentrate, these are signs we have to watch out for.“These are symptoms of clinical depression, which is a psychiatric morbidity that needs to be diagnosed early and treated,” he says.

The 2015 National Morbidity Survey reveals that 1 in 3 Malaysians struggle with mental health issues. That’s a threefold increase from just a decade ago when the figure was only 10.7%.

‘ Integriti Menjana Kecemerlangan & Jati Diri ’

Depression is the most common form of mental health illness. And while there are clear cut symptoms for depression, which Dr Mohanraj describes as “a silent killer”, these aren’t immediately visible. So, they often go undiagnosed.

“A person may see a primary care doctor because they can’t sleep or have psychosomatic symptoms like persistent headaches or backaches. They come away with sedatives to help them sleep, or painkillers and analgesics for pain management. But the root of the problem isn’t diagnosed,” he says.The issue isn’t a lack of expertise in the medical fraternity but a lack of awareness about the pervasiveness of mental health illness, he adds, and the need to screen for depression when symptoms are present.

The medical profession needs to better address mental wellness, he stresses. Primary care doctors, who Dr Mohanraj calls “the gatekeepers”, must realise their roles in diagnosing mental health illness and redirecting patients to get specialist treatment, just as they would for a heart patient.“Primary care doctors need to ask more questions,” says the consultant psychiatrist. “They need to probe in order to rule out depression or direct patients to psychiatric care. With early detection, mental health illness can be treated early and we could save lives.”

Mental health illness, specifically depression, is a main cause of suicides worldwide. In Malaysia, there’s been a 60% increase of death by suicide in the last 45 years. The Malaysian Psychiatric Association estimates that seven people attempt suicide every day.

Studies also indicate that 13 out of 100,000 people die from suicide annually, although health professionals believe that figure to be under-representation because many suicides go unreported.Dr Mohanraj adds, “Severe cases of depression manifest in psychotic symptoms and suicidal thoughts, which may start from having death wishes. Of course, a lot of people have death wishes that don’t translate into active suicidal thoughts or a plan or the actual act.

“There are protective factors that keep people from acting on death wishes, such as cultural or religious factors that see suicide as taboo. But there are those who see suicide as the only way to end their pain.”

An illness, not a defect

One of the biggest challenges in addressing depression is the stigma surrounding mental health illness.“People see depression as a personality defect rather than a clinical illness,” says Dr Mohanraj. “They view depression as a sign of weakness, or a person behaving badly, and expect them to ‘snap out of it’. But it is a real and serious clinical entity.”

Depression is the second biggest cause of disability worldwide, after cardiovascular disease. In Malaysia, depression is projected to be the leading cause of disability by 2030.

Society needs to view mental health illness like a heart disease or diabetes or even broken bones, because depression is manageable. Treatment, Dr Mohanraj says, is a combination of psycho-social therapy and medication that restores the chemical imbalance which causes the condition.

Page 2

“Malaysia has very effective medications to restore serotonin levels in the brain, which makes a person with depression feel better. But our mental health treatments extend beyond medication,” he adds.

“For mild cases of depression, you don’t need medication. Bio-psycho-social treatment combines medicines with psycho-social interventions, helping the patient overcome negative thoughts or helping them get out of an environment in which they do not thrive.”

Dr Mohanraj shares one example of a suicidal patient who needed a very different type of intervention.“He was brought to hospital and treated for depression because he had attempted suicide. He was distressed, disappointed and really wanted to die. He told me that whatever treatment he was on, he would still kill himself because there was no way out of his problem.

“He was in debt and had no way of getting over his financial woes. We engaged Bank Negara, which has a division that helps people restructure loans, and they paid him a visit at the hospital and helped him come up with a plan. That was the intervention he needed.”

Getting everyone on board

Beating depression has to be a concerted effort. People need to seek treatment, but for this to happen we need to change the way we look at mental health conditions. People with depression often fear they will be perceived as weak or, even worse, crazy.

Though cultural and societal norms are changing albeit slowly, Dr Mohanraj believes that everyone from governments to employers to society must act together.

“We need to have a more holistic approach to address mental health issues,” he says. “It’s not just about improving services. A great deal of advocacy must be done. There has to be preventive measures to deal with workplace depression and depression among students. This needs to be done urgently.”

One example, he adds, is that companies and businesses need to pick up on depression among their staff. Depression in the workplace can manifest as absentism, irritability, the inability to focus and low productivity.

“If an employee has repeated medical leave for non-specific complaints, employers need to find out more and intervene,” says Dr Mohanraj. “It will only benefit their workforce and productivity which is their concern anyway.”

Page 3

Staronline13 June 2018