PETALING JAYA: Parents and young adults alike are beginning to speak openly about childhoods shaped by cultural pressures and the mental health struggles that often went unnoticed for years. Christina said cultural norms influenced both her own understanding of anorexia and her mother’s response to it. Even after she was formally diagnosed with anorexia, Christina said her mother struggled to accept the seriousness of the disorder. “My dad grew up in an environment where mental health was never talked about. She suggested that face-to-face parent–child support groups could help make mental health a more accepted part of Malaysia’s cultural and national conversation.

Source: The Star January 25, 2026 01:09 UTC