Child welfare council raises alarm over rising mental health crisis among Malaysian youths
Its president, Datuk Yasmeen Shariff, said it is a national concern that requires a strategic framework to address and mitigate the problem.
'We are at a crossroads because we are hearing more and more about youths taking their lives due to their inability to manage the daily challenges they face,' she said.
Yasmeen's comments are in response to a recent report by The Guardian titled 'Mental health crisis means youth is no longer one of the happiest times of life'.
The report is from a United Nations-commissioned study in the United Kingdom, Ireland, United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, which found that satisfaction with life tends to rise with age.
The article revealed that one of the major contributing factors to youths' mental health struggles is excessive smartphone use, which has become integral to their daily lives.
The introduction of online learning during the Covid-19 pandemic has inadvertently led to a generation highly dependent on their smartphones, which has significantly contributed to a deterioration in mental health.
In response, MKKM believes that in a society often shrouded in misconceptions about mental illness, it is time to embrace the World Health Organisation's theme of 'Mental Health for All: Let's Make It a Reality' with a holistic approach.
Professor Dr Kamal Kenny, vice president of MKKM, said: 'The mental wellbeing of today's youth must be taken seriously, or they risk becoming a lost generation. Do we want this to happen to our future leaders?'
He also said that another often-overlooked issue is the vulnerability of children to perpetrators lurking on the dark web through social media. Extended time spent online without proper supervision can expose children to these dangers.
Efforts by various agencies to address the underlying mental health issues among youths are commendable, and Kamal emphasised that Malaysia must focus on sustainable programmes and contextually relevant materials to help children and adolescents through this challenging phase.
'This is the time for us to work together as a nation for the wellbeing of our youth's mental health. Youths of all ages and backgrounds should be the central concern of all agencies as we continue to tackle this issue.
'A comprehensive curriculum, support systems, policies, monitoring and evaluation mechanisms, and most importantly, strategic collaboration need to be in place to bridge the gap and ensure the principle of the Sustainable Development Goals – 'leaving no one behind' – is upheld in our efforts to safeguard the mental health of our children.'
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals are 17 global objectives established by the United Nations, focused on ending poverty, safeguarding the planet, and ensuring peace and prosperity for everyone.
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