Kuala lumpur: A total of 135 participants from ASEAN member states and Timor Leste attended the two-day Roundtable Discussion: ASEAN Youth Mental Health 2025 held here, which began yesterday. Minister of Youth and Sports Hannah Yeoh stated that the forum brought together individuals from multiple sectors, including mental health experts, religious figures, policymakers, government officials, civil society representatives, and youth leaders.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the forum was deemed particularly significant for Malaysia as findings from the Malaysian Youth Mental Health Index Study 2023 (MyMHI’23) revealed that the mental health status of youths aged 15 to 30 remains at a moderate level. The Minister emphasized the importance of collaborative efforts involving medical experts, youth representatives, and religious groups to address this pressing issue.

In addition, the Institute for Youth Research Malaysia (IYRES) Acting Chief Executive Officer Shahhanim Yahya highlighted that modern youth are grappling with self-identity challenges. She noted that young people are increasingly vocal about their emotional struggles on social media, which underscores the necessity to understand the root causes of their stress, whether internal or environmental.

Themed “ASEAN Youth Voice: Empowering Minds, Ensuring Well-being”, the discussion aimed to tackle mental health challenges faced by ASEAN youth through regional cooperation. It focused on exchanging best practices and promoting inclusive advocacy to enhance mental health literacy and improve access to mental health care across the region.