PETALING JAYA: At the still tender age of 14, a once cheery Siti Hafizah Othman (not her real name) now often hides in her room.

       During the previous lockdowns, she confessed to being hit by bouts of anxiety and that she had to suppress her emotions.

       With limited physical interaction, she said having to study online coupled with the pressure to perform well in her exams affected her emotional well-being. The father said he was distressed to find cuts on her wrist last year.

       “At first, my wife and I did not know how to react. We tried to talk to her but she refused to reveal anything. We knew that she was struggling mentally and emotionally.

       “But she is much better now, thanks to being able to go to school again,” he said.

       He said he and wife also found professional help to ensure that their daughter kept well.

       “We need more awareness on the issue as it is still considered a taboo topic among parents,” he said.

       A teenager, who wanted to be known as Lee, 18, said he became depressed after his brother passed away due to Covid-19.

       The student from Bangi said that he could not cope with the loss and developed depression.

       He said he kept to himself most of the time and this made things worse.“I didn’t know who to turn to. Most of the time I would distract myself by going online.

       “Fortunately, I managed to find some help by making new friends from a support group I found on Facebook,” he said.

       The teen said he was working hard to accept the loss of his brother’s life to the pandemic.

       “I think my brother would also want me to move on,” he said.