I refer to a news (http://www.chinapress.com.my/?p=997322) dated 30th June 2017 of a female student in Penang who apparently committed suicide due to pressures of pre-university studies.
Unfortunately, this news was not reported in the English language papers. The deceased who scored 10 As in her SPM exams aspired to be a lawyer. She was studying in a pre university course and her family members, friends and teachers noticed that she was not her normal self of late. It was believed that her inability to handle the growing pressures of studies that drove her to commit suicide by jumping from the balcony of an apartment on the 7th floor in Penang.
I remember when I was in school, my favourite teacher, Mrs Tan drew a picture of a dolphin on the black board using chalk. Yes, I'm that old!
Mrs Tan then asked us what was it that she drew in Bahasa Melayu of which we answered in unison "Ikan lumba lumba "! Mrs Tan said that in studies, we need to be like the dolphins and asked us to inculcate a healthy competition or "semangat berlumba-lumba".
My friends and I were indeed very competitive when it came to studies that we would cry if we got anything less than an "A"!! Nothing wrong with that if we can use that experience to improve ourselves.
However, the problem starts when we dwell on the disappointments and cannot pick ourselves up.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, about 4.2 million Malaysians aged 16 years and above, or 29.2 per cent of the population, suffered from various mental problems.
The number is alarming as it shows that one out three Malaysians suffers from mental problem. According to the survey, there is an increase of 11.2 per cent since 2006. That means there are many of our closed ones or even ourselves who are silently suffering from mental problem. Nobody knows until something serious like suicides happen.
I believe that in everything that we do, there needs to be a balance. It's excellent to have a competitive nature but we need to have a healthy competitive nature.
First step is to identify and admit there's a problem. Next step is to seek help. The taboo of mental problem being .
The stigma over mental health cannot be ignored and must be addressed. Awareness must be created in schools, through education and campaigns.
Government must introduce guidelines in promoting mental health at schools or workplaces and to encourage campaigns to create awareness of the issue to provide both prevention and early intervention for students/employees affected by stress, emotional and mental health issues.
POSTSCRIPT : http://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2017/07/11/competition-and-mental-health/
