
A total of 1,020 out of 36,428 secondary school students surveyed in Selangor have shown early signs of being at high risk of depression.
State public health and environment committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin told the Selangor state assembly that the students, who were identified through a patient health questionnaire, made up 2.8% of those screened.
She said the findings, which were based on the Minda Sihat (Healthy Mind) mental health screening analysis for the 2024/2025 school session, indicated that overall psychosocial behaviour among students remained under control.
“To address mental health concerns, intervention programmes have been expanded to primary schools, especially for Year 5 and Year 6 students,” she said.
“The goal is to raise early awareness about mental health and build emotional resilience.”
The interventions focus on emotional and behavioural development, early prevention activities, and capacity-building for school guidance and counselling teachers, she said.
These include workshops on mental health strategies such as relaxation techniques, breathing exercises, physical activities, as well as shoulder and neck massages.
Jamaliah was responding to a question from Azmizam Zaman Huri (PH–Port Klang) about the measures the Selangor education department had taken to address depression and anxiety among students in the 2024/2025 session.
She said in addition to general interventions, the Selangor education department is running the Healthy Mind programme with specialised modules.
Apart from counselling sessions, the specialised modules also focus on emotional awareness, breathing techniques, mindfulness, coping skills, stress management, anger management, problem-solving, positive thinking, and effective communication.
“These initiatives serve as early preventive measures and aim to strengthen students’ mental well-being from the primary level,” she said.