Kota Kinabalu: A consultant psychiatrist told the Coroner's Court that the available material did not support a conclusion that Zara Qairina Mahathir had a chronic psychotic disorder or severe enduring mood disorder before the events under examination.
Dr Wong Haw Huo, 39, told Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan on Friday that Zara was described as sociable, expressive, talkative, friendly, active and emotionally engaging, and capable of forming meaningful friendships and attachments.
He said the available material indicated vulnerabilities in emotional regulation, interpersonal sensitivity, reassurance-seeking, social impulsivity and behavioural self-regulation, which may have influenced how she experienced rejection, misunderstanding, peer conflict, humiliation and perceived exclusion.
Dr Wong said the material also suggested possible attentional and executive functioning traits, including distractibility, talkativeness, reduced inhibition, impulsive verbal expression and difficulty anticipating how her behaviour might be perceived by others, but stressed these did not amount to a definitive diagnosis of Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder because no formal assessment of the deceased was possible.
He said Zara initially appeared excited and socially engaged after entering boarding school, but the available material later showed increasing interpersonal difficulties, perceived rejection, social insecurity, emotional distress and a reduced sense of psychological safety within the boarding-school environment.
