Dr Stephen-Claude Hyatt, a clinical health psychologist, said the school counsellors were not to blame, but the fear stemmed from a policy that required counsellors to inform the school administration about the students’ affairs.

“It’s sad to say that this is often the case. However, this is a breach in confidentiality,” he said at a mental health discussion.

“The counsellors themselves are in a bit of a pickle: on one hand, they want to help the students and hold their confidence, but on the other hand they still have to answer to their bosses.”

Hyatt believes there is a need for a policy change in schools, allowing counsellors to keep information about the schoolchildren confidential.

“Counsellors should only be able to inform other necessary parties, such as parents, when the students are a danger to themselves or others. Schools need to trust the counsellors more to do their jobs,” said Hyatt, who is with a private mental health clinic.

Hyatt said many adults are unable to seek mental health support because of a lack of insurance coverage.

He said insurance companies had been allowed “for too long” to either not cover psychological treatment, or were given impunity to charge exorbitant amounts for coverage.

To make mental health services accessible to all, Hyatt called for open communication on the topic of mental health.

“We need to address this silent epidemic vocally rather than with whispers and intellectual gab,” Hyatt said when speaking about the responsibilities of both professionals and the public in combating this problem.