Mental Health Representations in Literature and the Media: Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia
Status : Competitive Research Grant
Funding Amount : BND 9,230
Start Date : 2022
Completion Date : 2024
Principal Investigators : Dr Hannah Ho Ming Yit
Co-investigators : Dr Sharifah Nurul Huda Alkaff
External Collaborator : Dr Hilda Ho Ming Choo (MRCPsych; MOH)
Brief Outline
This project aims to examine literary and media representations of mental health issues within Brunei Darussalam. In pandemic times, there has been an increasing awareness about the importance of mental health in the global society. With the National Mental Health Order (2014), there has also been a concerted effort to depart from a negative rhetoric of lunacy to more positive discourses for addressing mental health challenges, which are actually not uncommon within the wider community in Brunei Darussalam. Myths and perceptions of mental illnesses have been traditionally shaped by shame and discrimination. In media reports and literary writings, mental affliction as a negative trope has been somewhat sustained. This study interrogates the degree to which media reports and literary writings instill compassion and demonstrate empathy through their narratives of mental health challenges.
Brief Objectives
Research questions include:
- How is mental health reported in newspapers and represented in literary writings within Muslim societies in Southeast Asia, especially Brunei and Malaysia?
- How is mental health linked to gender, social class, race, and nation in terms of media reporting and literary representations?
- What are the similarities and differences between Muslim and non-Muslim perspectives of mental health issues in these societies as demonstrated in literary and media writings?
- In view of current national and institutional efforts to destigmatise mental health problems, to what extent do local newspapers and literary writings attempt to support this initiative?
Significance of the Research
National benefits include:
- This project aligns closely with national efforts to destigmatise mental illnesses. It serves to open up the academic conversation about the significance of mental health for local and regional communities.
- Outcomes generated by this research will contribute towards further interdisciplinary research on mental health issues. It is hoped that this research encourages further collaborations between various stakeholders across academic disciplines and professional fields to increase the visibility of mental health in popular culture, services, and access.