People with mental health problem in Malaysia require access to spiritual care from their mental health services. However, the literature, which is dominated by Western scholars, brings the broad conception of spirituality into debate, which does not fit the paradigm of the religious worldview in countries such as Malaysia. This paper provides a narrative overview of the tensions inherent in the concept of spirituality as delivered in the literature. It begins a discussion on the place of spirituality in mental health care while highlighting the problematic concept of spirituality currently seen in the literature. This paper thus provides recommendations for future research on the need for particularising the concept of spirituality within mental healthcare in Malaysia.
This article attempts to provide an overview of issues related to children’s participation in decisions relating to health care. It sets the discussion in the context of current debate about children’s participation in health care decisions and explores the extent to which children want to participate in the decision. This article concludes that children mostly occupy a minimal role in communication and decisions regarding their care. The patterns of participation of children in communication and decisions are differing and fluctuate between the children and within the same child throughout their hospitalisation, depending on the participating child, their preferences, and requirements at a particular time.