School bullying forces girl to seek medication for depression and anxiety

IPOH – A father has opened up about his daughter’s harrowing experience of being bullied online and at school, which pushed her into a severe state of depression and anxiety that required medication for her recovery.

According to her father, Aniq Iskandar, 47, the Ipoh boarding school Form One student was relentlessly targeted through cruel messages on WhatsApp and Instagram during the Movement Control Order.

The abuse later extended into her school life, where she was ostracised and humiliated.

“The cause of the incident was unclear until a misunderstanding occurred, which led her to being flooded with various messages from unknown numbers and accounts. It did not end there, as she was also ostracised and received negative stares once she returned to school,” he said.

Aniq added that the situation worsened when the school failed to protect his daughter, despite being aware of the bully's identity.

“My daughter knew who her bully was, and in this case, when it was reported to the school, it seemed as though they sided with the bully because the perpetrator had connections with them,” he said.

Struggling with her mental health, the young student was taken for private counselling where a psychiatrist diagnosed her with major depressive disorder and anxiety disorder.

She was then prescribed medication to help with her recovery.

“With the specialist’s advice, the decision to change schools and environment was the best step for her recovery and eventually brought a major improvement to her mental health,” Aniq said.

Since moving to a new school, the once-withdrawn girl has transformed into a top student.

She now shines in public speaking, serves as a moderator and has even represented her school at national and state-level competitions.