MENTAL health issues among children and teenagers in schools and in society are seeing unprecedented rise throughout the country.
Federal Minister of Women, Family and Community Development Datuk Seri Nancy Shukri said this rise represents a worrying trend not just in urban but also in rural areas.
Speaking while visiting the ministry's One-Stop Social Support Centre in Kuching today, Nancy said the very young section of our population is being afflicted by increasing emotional and psychological woes.
"We the ministry have received feedbacks from our support centres of more and more youngsters facing mental health problems. They include little children and teens, many of whom do not know how to deal with the increasing stress they are being burdened with nowadays in schools, in their homes and in the society.
"We need to step up our outreach to these young ones. Our mental health education and support efforts must be targetted not only for adults but also children and teenagers," she said.
Nancy said her ministry is liaising with school authorities and non-governmental bodies to organise more mental health campaigns for children and teens in the states.
Last year, a Sarawak MP had warned that in Sarawak, mental health woes among little children, adolescents, teenagers and young adults have reached unprecedentedly serious levels.
The number of these young ones showing serious behavioural problems in their families, in schools and in the society have increased by a big margin nowadays as compared to past generation, said Sibu Member of Parliament Oscar Ling.
Speaking at a gathering of mental health doctors and volunteers in Sibu town in central Sarawak in October, he said mental health authorities are calling on the education and health ministries to tackle these mental health woes of the very young in more organised and holistic methods.
"Emphasising only on physical wellbeing of children and teens in schools and in the community is no longer enough. There must be specific lessons or sessions in the schooling hours and programmes in the community for mental health awareness talks with time for pupils in schools to share and discuss issues relating to their emotional and psychological needs.
"The fast pace of social media advancements are seeing very young ones getting hooked and being influenced by the happenings they find online. Unprecedented pressure in their academic life and family situations and the society are causing more stressors for these young ones.
"These are the main factors causing mental health woes for the very young and they need help to cope," he had said.
Ling said the past generations had seen health and education authorities giving top priorities to the welfare of pupils in schools and youths in society in the physical-health aspects.
These physical health aspects must continue to be emphasised, while top priority attention be given towards the mental wellbeing as well, with early behavioural monitoring, early intervention and effective counselling and therapy given specific focus, he added.
Community bodies, religious organisations and family groupings must also give these mental health issues greater attention, he added. – February 9, 2025
