A CARTOON character, Zippy, will be making its presence felt in primary schools, on the back of a rising number of young people seeking help at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH).

Last year, 1,236 of those aged seven to 12 were seen by IMH doctors at its Child Guidance Clinic, up from 833 in 1998.

Doctors say the numbers are not a cause for worry, but are due instead to greater awareness of mental health issues.

Zippy, a stick insect, will be introduced in worksheets, as a fun way to get kids to talk about their feelings. Among the issues that will be dealt with are bullying, loss of a loved one and loneliness.

The 24-week course will be launched at Innova, Wellington and Qifa primary schools next month.

The Health Promotion Board is also talking to other schools to incorporate the programme into their curriculum, said Dr Wong Mun Loke from its youth health programme development sector.

The programme is aimed at Primary 1 pupils, usually a troubled time for some children who are making the switch from kindergarten to a full-day school.

They have to start making new friends and get used to longer study hours, said Dr Wong.

One common issue with the young: How to deal with a best friend who suddenly refuses to speak to them.

Mrs Nur Fatimah Frauder, who teaches at Wellington Primary, said some pupils are too shy to express themselves.

'Especially in an Asian culture when family members don't really talk to each other, it can be difficult for the students to say what they are really feeling to their friends or even the teachers,' she said.

Experts welcomed the effort to intervene early to help children cope with changes.

Miss Adelyn Poh, co-founder of Children-At-Risk Empowerment Association, said: 'It is far easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.''

Dr Daniel Fung, chief of IMH's Department of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry and Child Guidance Clinic, said a common condition the clinic sees is attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Anxiety and depression in young people are usually accentuated by stress and poor coping skills, he said.

Both Dr Fung and Singapore Association for Mental Health's deputy director Peshali Fernando called for greater involvement on the part of parents and teachers in the programme.

The association's centre in Jurong East records 10-year- olds as its youngest charges. Most young people seek help too late, when they have developed schizophrenia, for example.

'But the trouble starts much earlier through emotional issues like bullying,' said Ms Fernando.

This story was first published in The Straits Times on Mar 13, 2008.