BESIDES integrating psychologists into schools, stakeholders say a comprehensive school mental health system should adopt a multi-tiered approach.
Identifying students who may be struggling requires continuous observation by multiple parties like teachers, parents and hostel wardens, they stress.
Parent Action Group for Education Malaysia chairman Datin Noor Azimah Abdul Rahim said schools and parents should communicate regularly, rather than only when problems arise.
“Teachers can share changes they observe in school, while parents provide insights from home. Early intervention works best when everyone collaborates as one support system,” she said.
Beyond the surface
Noor Azimah, however, acknowledged that while many parents want to help, they may not always recognise the early warning signs of emotional distress, especially when teenagers withdraw or hide their feelings.
One worrying trend, Malaysian Mental Health Association (MMHA) president Prof Datuk Dr Andrew Mohanraj noted, is that psychological distress can manifest as behavioural problems.
“Some children become disruptive, aggressive, withdrawn, frequently absent or perform poorly academically. These behavioural changes may be disciplinary issues on the surface but are often cries for help underneath,” he explained.
Moreover, he pointed out that many vulnerable students never seek help.
“Some actively avoid counselling because of stigma or fear of being judged. Others simply do not recognise that they need help,” he said.
The bigger picture
However, Prof Andrew cautioned against assuming that every incident of violence or suicide is directly caused by mental illness.
“Human behaviour is complex and influenced by multiple interacting factors, including family dynamics, bullying, academic stress, trauma, substance use, social media exposure, personality traits, and, in some cases, underlying psychiatric disorders,” he said.
Nonetheless, he said these tragic events suggest that some children may be experiencing emotional distress that goes unnoticed until it reaches a crisis point.
“Increasingly, schools are encountering students struggling with anxiety, depression, loneliness, self-harm, emotional dysregulation and behavioural problems.
“Many young people also face unprecedented pressures from social media, cyberbullying, excessive academic expectations, family breakdown and uncertainty about the future,” he said.
Raising awareness
To further strengthen early identification, Noor Azimah advocated for greater access to mental health awareness programmes and practical guidance for parents, alongside stronger support from schools.
Prof Andrew said schools should initiate a whole-school approach to mental health promotion rather than relying on counselling services.
“This includes strengthening mental health literacy among teachers and school staff through programmes such as the Mental Health First Aid,” he said.
Run by the MMHA, the Mental Health First Aid course is designed to help teachers detect signs of psychological distress among students, offer non-judgemental support and be familiar with the referral pathway.
“This integrated approach is particularly relevant to Malaysia, where schools also work closely with parents and community mental health providers,” he said.
