KUALA LUMPUR: Mental health disorders pose a serious and growing threat to Malaysia's younger generation, said Jelebu member of parliament Datuk Seri Jalaluddin Alias.

During the debate on the 13th Malaysia Plan in the Dewan Rakyat today, Jalaluddin said mental health issues also contribute to bullying cases in schools.

He said the statistics on mental health among children are alarming, with 4.6 per cent of individuals aged 15 and above experiencing symptoms of depression, and 16.5 per cent of children aged between five and 15 suffering from mental health problems.

"Many of the bullying cases involve primary and secondary school pupils bullying other students.

Featured Videos

"What does this mean? It points to issues of mental health and mental disorders.

"We must not treat this as a trivial matter, because it is a ticking time bomb for our generation," he said.

Following this, he called on the government to take action and upgrade the status of psychiatrists and psychologists so they can perform their duties effectively.

He said that since 2020, the contracts of psychologists and psychiatrists have been extended three times, with their duties expanded beyond their original scope.

He also said they are still employed under a contract for service and have not been classified as civil servants.

"This means that any aid or bonuses received by civil servants are not available to this group, as they are employed under a contract for service rather than a contract of service.

"In Negri Sembilan alone, we only have nine officers under contract for service to assist, and they are stationed at hospitals and district health clinics," he said.