THE DEFENCE MECHANISMS USED BY HYSTERIA MALAY STUDENTS IN KELANTAN TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM UNCOMFORTABLE BEHAVIOURS

Abstract

Malaysians frequently use the term hysteria to describe an illness caused by a subtle disturbance or ghost behaviour. The Malay community considers hysteria to be 'phantom ghost' or 'disturbed’. Such beliefs arose because the Malay community believed that the hysteria that occurred in girls and women was a symptom of ghosts, jinn, and satanic disturbances or anything related to disturbances of subtle and unseen things. The burden of mental illness in Malaysia is high, and it is increasing. Malaysian mental health-related burden comprises up to 37% of total disability. The National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2015 revealed a prevalence of 29.2% of Malaysians above 16 years to have mental health problems, with three in ten Malaysians struggling with some form of mental health issues. From the perspective of looking after the future generations of Malaysians, the picture of adolescent mental health is also worrying. The objective of this study was to describe how the Malay students used defence mechanism to protect themselves from unpleasant behaviours. A qualitative approach, psychological tests and triangulation method were used for this study, in which 10 specific hysteria students was selected for in-depth interview. The psychological test were DASS-21 Test and Drawing Test. Snow ball sampling was used to select young girls in high schools who experienced mass hysteria. The results show that the hysteria respondents suffered from trauma, emotional problems, verbal abuse, sexual harassment, and a lacking of their parents’ attention. There are two types of problems: internal and external. The internal problem is their personality. The findings of the study may guide students in Kelantan to get proper treatment from medical professional. If mass hysteria in the Kelantan context is better understood, teachers can be empowered through health education to enable them to identify mass hysteria outbreaks in schools early, manage victims and observers more effectively and refer victims to health workers for treatment.