Abstract

Author:
Norbaidurah Ithnain, Maizatul Alya Jeffri-Din, Nur Aina Ezzaty Mohd Rafee, Nur Sofea Hazeera Johari, Manimaran Krishnan

Doi: 10.26480/mmhj.02.2025.61.66

This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License CC BY 4.0, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited

Mental health stigma is one of the key barriers to Malaysian adolescents’ access to prompt and appropriate mental care. The negative perceptions of mental health stigma remain embedded in existing social norms, cultural beliefs, religious interpretations, and institutional practices despite higher awareness and growing national concern about the issue. Hence, adolescents have constantly internalised the negative attitudes, which have engendered emotional suppression, social isolation, and reluctance to seek assistance. Resultantly, a growing trend has been observed in cases related to depression, anxiety, and suicidal thoughts among youths in Malaysia, as reflected in recent national surveys. Endeavours, particularly government-led campaigns, school-based support systems, and youth-driven digital platforms, have been employed and expanded in recent years to address mental health stigma. Initiatives involving the “Stop Stigma” campaign, peer-support networks, and community-based education programmes have also been instrumental in promoting mental health literacy and creating a safe environment for relevant dialogues. Meanwhile, challenges remain as public misconceptions persist, which require more inclusive, coordinated, and sustainable responses across different sectors. The current study highlighted the key factors contributing to mental health stigma and potential interventions. Nevertheless, study limitations existed due to a plethora of past studies focused on quantitative methodologies, which rendered in-depth qualitative insights scarce comparatively. Qualitative studies could explore adolescents’ lived experiences and incorporate multi-sectoral perspectives from families, educators, healthcare providers, and non-governmental organisations. A holistic understanding of how various actors perceive and respond to mental health stigma is essential to designing holistic, culturally sensitive, and youth-informed strategies, which can assist in reducing existing stigma while improving mental health outcomes nationwide.