Tackling mental health issues in young people

By Nadia Badarudin - January 23, 2018 @ 1:11pm

The demands of living in current times are causing depression, anxiety and other mental health problems in
young people, writes Nadia Badarudin
LIFE seems full of sweet dreams when we are young and carefree. As a fresh graduate, it’s normal for us
to wish for good things in the future — a permanent job with a handsome salary, the dream car and a home
of our own.
But life is not always smooth sailing. While some young working adults may soldier on amidst the trials
and tribulations, others struggle with emotional and physical issues as soon as they leave university, or
even before, and in this state, enter the working world.
Though each generation has faced its own set of problems, dilemmas faced by young adults during present
times appear to have wide-ranging social and economic implications, with a rising number being
diagnosed with depression, anxiety or other mental health problems.

As a fresh graduate it’s normal for us to wish for good things in the future. Picture from: goldprousa.com.

COMMON ISSUES
Muhammad Alif, 26, from Perak, obtained his degree in marketing at a local university and is currently
working as a marketing executive in the publishing industry. The biggest challenge he had to face as soon
as he graduated was to find a job.
“I was stressed because I had to compete with so many candidates while job-hunting. I signed up with an
online job-hunting portal which enabled me to see that I was competing with both over-qualified and
under-qualified people,” he says.
“It put me in a tough situation. I needed a job badly because I had to start paying my PTPTN (National
Higher Education Fund Corporation) study loan,” he says, adding that he also had other financial woes
after leaving his hometown for Kuala Lumpur.
Muhammad, who is active on social media, says sometimes he is emotionally affected by what he sees on
Instagram. “I feel down when I come across friends who have made it — some are hired by big companies,
have bought a new car or are living a fancy lifestyle. I can only hope that my time will come.”
Jeehah Luqman, 24, from Shah Alam faces the same dilemma. Apart from having to pay her study loan,
she too had to deal with the pressures of job-hunting. “I work as a human resource recruiter. I have a
degree in petroleum geoscience but I had a tough time finding a job that was relevant to my qualification.
“It’s also hard to find a permanent job. Most companies offer a permanent post only to those with more
experience. When I check on my former college mates on Facebook or Instagram, I have to admit that I
envy those who have managed to get permanent jobs and have started to plan their future,” she says.
Unlike Muhammad and Jeehah, the path bridging adolescence and adulthood has been a confusing
experience for Melissa Zain, 22.
On the surface, Melissa is a person everyone aspires to be. Blessed with beauty and brains, and an army of
followers on her social media network, she is the envy of everyone as things just seem to fall right into her
lap. The popular girl has always excelled in her studies and was head-hunted by big corporations even
before she graduated. Despite all this, she is depressed. She feels like she is a fraud and living a life she
does not deserve. She has what is called high functioning depression.

Paying back study loans has been said to be among the stresses faced by young people. Picture from pnimg.net.

MORE ON PLATE
The coping mechanisms among today’s generation are different as they are exposed to more factors that
can emotionally and physically affect them in life, says Katyana Azman, child psychologist at Pantai
Hospital Kuala Lumpur.
“Generally, we’re having more young adults stressed out or experiencing symptoms of stress-related
illnesses such as anxiety or depression due to life experiences or environmental factors.
However, it is not only happening here but all around the globe. I think it’s due to the fact that there’s a lot
more on the plate of a young adult now in comparison to 30 or 40 years ago,” says Katyana, whose
patients are mainly young adults.
According to the National Health and Morbidity Survey 2015, the prevalence of mental health problems
among young adults (aged between 16 and 35) in Malaysia in 2015 was 29.2 per cent, which was a three-
fold increase from 10.7 per cent in 1996.
Katyana says stress is among the main factors that can lead to mental issues. It can also cause a number of
physical ailments such as chronic headaches, difficulty sleeping or eating disorders. Ultimately, it will
affect one’s ability to perform or function normally and productively.

Comparing notes on how others are faring on social media can emotionally affect the young. Picture from avensure.com.

MULTIPLE FACTORS
Struggling to cope with studies, work, new financial commitments, family expectations and relationships
are among the topics of concern for young adults. Competition and the need to be on par or ahead of their
peers also cause stress.
“We’re looking at a jump from adolescence to adulthood where lots of parental or societal structures are
still involved. When you’re fresh out of university, everyone expects you to behave like an adult and
assume so many responsibilities.
But individuals in their early to mid- 20s are still mentally or neurologically developing, thus, they might
not be able to process all the things on their plate as they are expected to. And that triggers stress,” says
Katyana.
We are also looking at fresh graduates being thrust into a new pool where competition to get hired is
stronger than 30 or 40 years ago. And it becomes more complicated when they have to juggle minimum
wage with a high cost of living and other money-related matters such as study loans as soon as they leave
university, she says.
“Young adults are competing with so many high achievers,” explains Katyana. “There’s a joke about
today’s employers,... ‘We want a 25-year-old with 25 years of experience’. It reflects a higher degree of
expectation on behalf of employers. They have become stricter in hiring people and demand a lot from
fresh graduates now as they have so many young and capable candidates to choose from.”
Social media and the need to portray oneself as having an accomplished or fashionable lifestyle also
trigger stress among the younger generation.
“Social media has a huge influence on the mental health of young adults. These young and very socially
connected individuals feel the need to live up to a certain lifestyle as portrayed by their peers on social
media.They start to compare notes but fail to realise that life is not picture perfect and it may not be
realistic to attain such goals when you are in your early 20s.”
Another factor that creates stress is high expectations from family and society.
“We’re raised in a society where we’re expected to follow a standard path to succeed in life. Also, in Asian
culture, you’re not supposed to air your dirty laundry in public. These are among the factors that cause
friction between young individuals and their parents,” says Katyana.

Family expectations can also lead to pressure. Picture from www.boundless.org.