By Olivia Miwil
KOTA KINABALU: A consultant psychiatrist told the court that there was an increasing number of children and adolescents suffering from depression and are at risk of self-harm or suicide.
On the 78th day of the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina Mahathir, Dr Wong Haw Huo described encountering such trends in his daily work.
The 75th witness was replying to lawyer Shahlan Jufri's question on his additional training in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
"I developed a special interest in understanding children and adolescents ever since my postgraduate period, and I took the initiative to apply to the university for extended clinical supervision and training in the child psychiatry unit.
"It is my duty as a doctor to help these vulnerable groups return to school and achieve a better quality of life," he testified before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan.
Shahlan is representing Zara Qairina's mother Noraidah Lamat.
The 39-year-old expert witness, who has 12 years of experience in psychiatry, manages between 120 and 280 cases involving children every year.
He said between 10 and 15 per cent involve those with autism; about 30 per cent are those with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder; 30 to 40 per cent are those with depression and anxiety disorder; at least 30 per cent suffer from self-harm behaviours, including self-cutting; 15 to 20 per cent involve those with suicidal thoughts or behaviour; five to eight per cent are those with aggressive or violent behaviour; and more than 80 per cent involve those who refuse to attend school, have emotional difficulties or behavioural difficulties.
Dr Wong said the cases he most encountered involved adolescent girls with mood and behavioural difficulties, non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal risks.
"Every individual sent to the clinic is unique, and the cases usually involve more than one condition," he said.
This is where, he said, intervention by the parents and school, is important.
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