KOTA KINABALU: A forensic psychiatric consultant told the Coroner’s Court here that a psychological autopsy into the case of Zara Qairina Mahathir (pic) found that her death was most consistent with suicide.
Dr Chua Sze Hung, 43, of Hospital Mesra Bukit Padang in Kota Kinabalu, said this conclusion was based on his assessment that at the time of the incident, Zara Qairina had exhibited a predominance of suicide risk factors over protective factors at the time of the incident.
“This imbalance increases vulnerability to suicidal behaviour. The combination of predisposing and precipitating factors suggests that the final act was most likely an attempt to end suffering, occurring in a state of extreme acute stress, impaired judgement and reduced access to normal protective mechanisms, rather than a carefully planned act to end life.
“Therefore, this psychological autopsy concludes that the manner of death is most consistent with suicide,” he said while reading his witness statement before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan yesterday, reported Sinar Harian.
He said the conclusions of Zara Qairina’s psychological autopsy also led to several key findings.
“I do not believe the deceased was physically pushed, as there is no credible evidence at the time of writing the report to support that.
“There is information indicating emotional dysregulation, intense anger, self-injurious behaviour, unstable interpersonal relationships and fear of abandonment. However, it is not sufficient to make a retrospective diagnosis of a personality disorder.
“Although there is information indicating symptoms of depression, I do not believe that the deceased suffered from a severe, diagnosable mental illness prior to the alleged incident,” he said.
Dr Chua said suicide is a deliberate act of self-harm that results in death.
“It is a complex phenomenon with multiple determining factors. It is inaccurate to attribute all suicides to diagnosable mental illness,” he added.
He said studies in Malaysia showed that adolescents aged 13 to 15 have a higher risk of suicide attempts compared to other age groups.
Students whose parents are separated also show a higher likelihood of suicide attempts, he added.
“It should be emphasised that several suicide risk factors existed before the deceased entered the school, namely intentional self-harm, parental separation and divorce, conflict with parents, social sensitivity, anger, verbal aggression, a history of e-cigarette use, and a desire to die,” he said.
Dr Chua said he had previously prepared an 84-page psychiatric report for the court, based on an analysis of information from 40 individuals who were also witnesses in the inquest, as well as reports related to the incident.
He added that the Sabah Attorney-General’s Chambers requested a psychiatric assessment of Zara Qairina from the Health Ministry on Sept 17, 2025, and that a report was prepared to assist the Kota Kinabalu Coroner’s Court inquest into the teenager’s death.
According to him, a three-member team was appointed by the Director-General of Health on Sept 19, 2025. The team comprised himself, child and adolescent psychiatrist Dr Nurulwafa Hussain and clinical psychologist Norhameza Ahmad Badruddin.
“The team believes that a psychological autopsy is the most appropriate approach to assist the Coroner’s Court in achieving the objectives of the inquest.
“This report focuses primarily on the probability of whether Zara Qairina died by suicide, and if so, the circumstances under which it might have occurred.”
