Teachers flag 600 cases of students with possible mental health problems

Teachers flagged almost 600 cases of students with mental health concerns over the past two years, information tabled in parliament shows.

Education Minister Clifton Grima said there were 587 case in State primary and secondary schools where teachers advised parents to speak to a doctor over suspicions their children had mental health problems.

He was replying to a parliamentary question by Opposition MP Ivan Bartolo.

A survey by leading psychiatrists among 755 children and youths aged five-16 published last year had identified a staggering 62% being at risk of emotional problems and a host of issues which fell short of a mental disorder.

In a first-of-its-kind assessment of Maltese childhood and adolescence, psychiatric registrar Rosemarie Sacco had said more youths need healthy coping mechanisms that can help them deal with challenging situations that will serve them into adulthood.

The study was conducted by the Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health and the Malta Council for the Voluntary Sector, searching for the prevalence of mental disorders among Maltese children and adolescents. It was supervised by Dr Nigel Camilleri.

The results for the first phase of the study found that 60% were unlikely to have a mental disorder.

But the survey found that 23% of 5-10-year-olds and 39% of 11-16-year-olds were at risk of emotional problems; likewise, 27% of 5-10-year-olds and 27% of 11-16-year-olds were likely to have hyperactivity problems, and 23% of 5-10-year-olds and 26% 11-16 year-olds were likely to have anxiety problems.

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