SHAH ALAM - A three-day "Private Room: Confession Session" was held at the Sinar Bestari Education Carnival in Shah Alam.
The event was organised by Sinar Daily in collaboration with Universiti Malaya Specialist Centre (UMSC) to raise awareness about mental health.
The session was attended by 18 students, who had one-on-one sessions with professional psychiatrists and psychologists.
UMSC psychotherapist Khairul Arif Razali conducted the first session and the second session was conducted by UMSC psychiatrist Dr Fatin Liyana Azhar.
Each session lasted for about 45 minutes, and students had the opportunity to talk to the experts about their thoughts and feelings. The data showed that the first day of the session was the most popular, with more students attending than on the second or third day.
This suggests that mental health issues are common and serious among school students, and that many of the participants were aged 15 or younger.
When asked about what measures the government could take to raise awareness about mental health among students, Dr Liyana said that it could start in schools, where students could be referred to appropriate experts.
"We have a lot of screening questionnaires for all students to detect disorders.
"If the numbers are significant, then we need to have a system where we take the children and refer them to the appropriate team.
"I recommend that all schools do this, and for that, the counsellors and teachers need to be aware of the importance of mental health," she said.