Two groups of college students in Malaysia, ethnic Malay and ethnic Chinese, completed a mental illness attribution and help seeking questionnaire, and these responses were also compared with the responses of their mothers. As expected, ethnic Malays rated religious items, such as God and prayer, higher than the Chinese. However, both groups rated the social and psychological causes higher than religious, supernatural or physical causes. Contrary to our predictions, there were no intergenerational differences among either ethnic group. Medical pluralism was demonstrated, as a variety of apparently contradictory help seeking behaviors received quite high ratings including doctor/pharmacy, prayer, herbal medicine and traditional healers.

In this obituary note, we dedicate our thoughts to the late Lieutenant Colonel Professor Ahmad Ghazali Abu Hassan (1956-2022), who recently passed away in December 2022. His demise in December 2022 is a significant loss to the nation and academia, especially in Defence and Strategic Studies. To many of us who believed in him, we know he cared for all, irrespective of race, creed or religion. Every footprint he has left behind becomes an imprint in our lives. His memory will live on in the hearts and minds of his friends, colleagues, students and others he had inspired. May his soul rest in peace.