KUALA LUMPUR: Mental health support in schools must be strengthened by expanding access to qualified psychologists and establishing multidisciplinary support teams, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Mental Health Advisory Council member said school counsellors played an important role but relying solely on them was no longer sufficient to address the increasingly complex mental health needs of students.
“Schools are not only places for academic learning; they are also important environments for identifying and responding to mental health and psychosocial problems among children and adolescents,” he said when contacted on Saturday (Aug 29).
Lee added that young people today face multiple pressures, including academic expectations, family problems, bullying, cyberbullying, social media pressures, online risks, relationship difficulties and uncertainty about their future.
Some students, he said, even experience anxiety, depression, self-harm tendencies or other psychological difficulties requiring professional assessment and intervention.
As such, Lee said there should also be a clear referral pathway between schools, psychologists, government health facilities and other appropriate mental health services.
According to him, school counsellors should continue providing counselling, early identification, emotional support and referrals, while psychologists could offer more specialised assessments and interventions for students with more complex mental health needs.
“Students who require specialised attention should not have to wait until their problems become severe before receiving professional help,” he added.
Among the measures proposed by Lee were increasing the availability of psychologists in schools or through school-linked services, particularly in areas with large student populations, and the establishment of multidisciplinary school mental health teams involving counsellors, psychologists, school health personnel and teachers, as well as social workers and child psychiatrists where appropriate.
He also called for the counsellor-to-student ratio to be improved to ensure counsellors were not overwhelmed by excessive caseloads and administrative responsibilities.
Meanwhile, teachers and school administrators should be trained to recognise early warning signs of emotional distress, behavioural changes, bullying, self-harm and other mental health concerns.
Lee said referral and follow-up mechanisms should be improved to ensure students receiving professional help do not fall through the cracks between schools, families and healthcare services.
Parents should also be given guidance on recognising problems and supporting their children, as mental health support could not stop at the school gate.
Greater mental health literacy among students would help ensure that seeking help is not viewed as something to be ashamed of.
Most importantly, he said, schools must move away from responding only when a crisis occurs.
“Prevention, early identification and early intervention must become the foundation of school mental health support,” he said.
Lee urged the government to consider developing a comprehensive National School Mental Health Framework with clear standards for staffing, referral, intervention, crisis response and collaboration between the education and health sectors.
“Mental health support in schools is not an additional service or a luxury. It is an essential component of education and child development.
“We must invest today in stronger school-based mental health services because protecting the mental wellbeing of our young people is ultimately an investment in the wellbeing and resilience of the nation,” he said.
