\nPETALING JAYA: Depression among secondary school students in Malaysia is far more widespread than official figures suggest, according to mental health experts who say school and family pressures are fuelling a silent crisis.<\/p>\n
The home environment plays a critical role in how well teens cope with pressure, says Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin. (Freepik pic)
\nPETALING JAYA: Depression among secondary school students in Malaysia is far more widespread than official figures suggest, according to mental health experts who say school and family pressures are fuelling a silent crisis.<\/p>\n
Malaysian Mental Health Association president Andrew Mohanraj said urgent attention was needed after a recent screening in Selangor found more than 1,000 students at high risk of depression.<\/p>\n
Andrew Mohanraj.<\/p>\n
While the figure represented just 2.8% of those surveyed, he claimed that it likely masked a larger, hidden crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is just the tip of the iceberg,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany children don\u2019t say \u2018I\u2019m depressed.\u2019 They internalise it \u2014 through headaches, stomach aches, or they act out in class. Too often, adults mistake these signs of distress as disciplinary problems.\u201d<\/p>\n
He said such symptoms were frequently misread or dismissed, particularly in rigid school environments and households where emotional expression was discouraged.<\/p>\n
Andrew said academic pressure had long been embedded in Malaysian culture, with many parents still relying on \u201cauthoritarian\u201d methods that focused solely on results while neglecting emotional wellbeing.<\/p>\n
He added that unhealthy learning environments that prioritised achievement over wellbeing further exacerbated the pressure. He also pointed to emotional neglect in households where parents meet material needs but fail to connect emotionally.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter-school tuition, co-curricular demands, and packed schedules leave little time for rest. The pressure is intense, especially in competitive urban areas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about how many tuition classes you pay for \u2014 it\u2019s whether your child feels safe coming to you with failure.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mohanraj said rising cases of self-harm, poor coping skills, and behavioural issues were not isolated incidents, but symptoms of a deeper problem.<\/p>\n
\u201cChildren are made to feel that their value lies only in grades. When they struggle, they are often punished or shamed instead of being supported.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to change the culture \u2014 not just in schools, but in homes as well. Start by telling your child they are more than just their grades \u2014 and actually mean it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Puvessha Jegathisan.<\/p>\n
Clinical psychologist Puvessha Jegathisan agreed that many teens suffer in silence, caught between parental criticism and the need to succeed.<\/p>\n
She said the emotional toll was often greater in homes affected by divorce, financial stress, or a lack of communication.<\/p>\n
\u201cAcademic success is seen as the only way to prove self-worth. They carry the belief that if they\u2019re not the best, then they\u2019re nothing \u2014 especially when parents tie love and approval to performance.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cEven high-performing students may feel alone or unworthy in homes like these,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Dr Subash Kumar Pillai.<\/p>\n
Consultant psychiatrist Dr Subash Kumar Pillai said perfectionism was a growing concern, with students increasingly driven to meet unrealistic expectations from parents and teachers.<\/p>\n
He also criticised the use of \u201creverse psychology\u201d by some parents, saying it reinforced feelings of inadequacy.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe see it all the time \u2014 children with excellent grades, active in sports, disciplined routines \u2014 yet they struggle with anxiety, insomnia, eating issues, even suicidal thoughts. The pressure to be the \u2018ideal\u2019 child is unsustainable.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen a child scores 90 and is told, \u2018You can do better,\u2019 it creates the illusion that nothing they do is ever enough. It can lead to perfectionism and even body image issues, especially among high-achievers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Amer Siddiq Amer Nordin of Universiti Malaya said the home environment plays a critical role in how well teens cope with pressure, noting that a supportive family environment could be a buffer against academic stress.<\/p>\n
He also said many Malaysian families still avoided open conversations about emotions, with some viewing mental health struggles as weakness.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis stigma makes it hard for kids to ask for help. If their home isn\u2019t a safe space, where can they go?\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The home environment plays a critical role in how well teens cope with pressure, says Dr Amer Siddiq…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":87526,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[58783,6017,27223,210,517,4757,58784,25671,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-87525","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mental-health","8":"tag-academic-pressure","9":"tag-depression","10":"tag-expectations","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-mental-health","13":"tag-parenting","14":"tag-psychiatrist","15":"tag-teenagers","16":"tag-united-states","17":"tag-unitedstates","18":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114905890476980873","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=87525"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/87525\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/87526"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=87525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=87525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=87525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}