PETALING JAYA: What began as the pursuit of academic excellence turned into a nightmare for one housewife, who said her teenage daughter slipped into depression after years of relentless pressure to excel.
The mother, who only wanted to be known as Lim, recalled how her daughter, a straight-A student since primary school, was diagnosed with depression at just 14 years old.
“The pressure to score As drove her to the edge, and we didn’t even realise it.
“She had always been a high achiever, but suddenly, her grades plummeted and her school performance deteriorated.
“She even started neglecting her hygiene and sometimes could not get up to go to school,” Lim said, when contacted yesterday.
These are among the many cases that reflect a silent epidemic of mental health struggles in the country, from schoolchildren to adults buckling under academic pressure, family turmoil and societal expectations.
Haunted by guilt, Lim admitted that she too was to blame.
“I placed too much emphasis on grades and even resorted to caning when she didn’t deliver. In hindsight, I regret it deeply, it pushed her to the brink,” she said.
Now 16, Lim’s daughter is undergoing therapy in the hopes of rebuilding her mental health.
But hers is not an isolated case.
University student Mohd Salleh, whose name has been changed to protect his identity, said his battle with depression began at 16, when his parents’ bitter divorce turned his world upside down.
“It was chaotic. I couldn’t sleep at night, and I kept blaming myself for their fights. My results started dropping, and all I wanted was to lock myself in my room. Sometimes, I even thought of ending my life,” he confessed.
Salleh said he eventually sought solace by reaching out to friends facing similar struggles and even strangers online, a step that slowly helped him heal.
However, the pressures do not stop after school.
Siti Amalina (not her real name), 33, from Penang, said her mental health began to spiral while pursuing a master’s degree at a public university.
“The workload from classes really took a toll on me. On top of that, I was dealing with family problems and I just couldn’t focus on my studies,” she said.
Siti Amalina recalled being unable to function properly until she sought professional help.
Doctors later confirmed she was suffering from clinical depression.
Even children as young as 11 are not spared.
Primary schooler Sad, speaking on the condition of anonymity, admitted that the burden of studies already weighs heavily on him.
“It tires me and stresses me out,” he said.
His main coping mechanism was talking with friends.
