Zara Qairina inquest: Mother’s assessment unnecessary for psychological autopsy, psychiatrist tells court

Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung stated that assessing Zara Qairina's mother is unnecessary for a psychological autopsy, focusing instead on the manner of death.

Dr Chua emphasised that the mother's current mental condition does not substitute understanding the deceased's mental state, warning against mixing distinct clinical subjects.

Dr Chua maintained that based on the evidence, Zara Qairina's manner of death is most consistent with suicide, but the final determination is the court's prerogative.

KOTA KINABALU, Sept 9 — Consultant Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Chua Sze Hung told the Coroner’s Court today that an assessment of the mother of the late Zara Qairina Mahathir was not necessary in the context and framework of a psychological autopsy.

He said the focus should be on assisting the court in determining the manner of death of the deceased, with a psychological autopsy being the way forward.

Dr Chua, who was recalled to testify, explained that an assessment of the surviving parent was not a proper clinical or methodological substitute for a retrospective assessment of the deceased adolescent’s mental state.

“In forensic psychiatry, attempting to swap the two represents a category error. A clinical mismatch that mixed up two different subjects, timelines and psychological realities. These are two distinct clinical subjects,” he said before Coroner Amir Shah Amir Hassan when questioned by conducting officer Nahra Dollah during the proceeding.

The doctor said the mother’s assessment focuses on her current clinical condition rather than retrospectively assessing the deceased’s mental state

Dr Chua, who first testified as a witness in the inquest into the death of Zara Qairina in April, said a cross-sectional psychiatric diagnosis or non-diagnosis of the mother’s current mental state was of little help in understanding the adolescent’s symptom load and final suicidal intent.

“Forensic literature warns that survivors in death inquiries can be interested parties whose recollections can be coloured by guilt, anger and shame.

“The adolescent’s own written diaries documenting her various difficulties represent the most critical uncontaminated pre-mortem data,” he added.

Meanwhile, Dr Chua said clinical psychiatric assessment is not meant to be done retrospectively or to answer the manner of death.

“I stand by my conclusion that the deceased’s manner of death is most consistent with suicide.

“I humbly submit that it is the prerogative of the court to determine the final manner of death and my opinion remains an expert opinion on the balance of probability,” he added.

Zara Qairina, 13, died on July 17, 2025 at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, where she had been admitted a day earlier after being found unconscious near a drain at her school hostel in Papar at 4 am.

The proceedings resume tomorrow. — Bernama

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法医精神病顾问蔡思雄医生表示，对 Zara Qairina 的母亲进行心理尸检没有必要，而应该关注死亡方式。

蔡医生强调，母亲目前的精神状况不能代替对死者精神状态的理解，并警告不要将不同的临床主题混淆。

蔡医生认为，根据证据，扎拉·凯里娜的死亡方式最符合自杀，但最终的判定权在于法院。

哥打基纳巴卢，9月9日讯——法医精神病顾问蔡思雄医生今天在验尸法庭表示，在心理尸检的背景下和框架内，没有必要对已故扎拉·凯丽娜·马哈蒂尔的母亲进行评估。

他表示，重点应该放在协助法庭确定死者的死亡方式上，而心理尸检是前进的方向。

被召回作证的蔡医生解释说，对幸存父母的评估并不能在临床或方法论上替代对已故青少年精神状态的回顾性评估。

“在法医精神病学中，试图将两者互换属于类别错误。这是一种临床误判，混淆了两个不同的对象、时间线和心理现实。这是两个截然不同的临床对象，”他在验尸官阿米尔·沙阿·阿米尔·哈桑面前说道，当时他正在接受执行官纳赫拉·多拉的质询。

医生说，对母亲的评估侧重于她目前的临床状况，而不是回顾性地评估死者的精神状态。

蔡医生于 4 月份首次作为证人出席了对 Zara Qairina 死亡的调查，他表示，对母亲当前精神状态进行横断面精神病学诊断或不诊断，对于了解青少年的症状负担和最终自杀意图几乎没有帮助。

“法医文献警告说，死亡调查中的幸存者可能是利益相关方，他们的回忆可能会受到内疚、愤怒和羞耻的影响。

“这名少女自己写下的日记记录了她遇到的各种困难，这些日记是最关键、最未经污染的生前资料，”他补充道。

与此同时，蔡医生表示，临床精神病学评估并非旨在回顾性地进行，也不是为了回答死亡方式的问题。

“我坚持我的结论，即死者的死亡方式最符合自杀的特征。”

“我谨此声明，最终的死亡方式应由法院裁定，而我的意见只是基于可能性权衡的专家意见，”他补充道。

13 岁的 Zara Qairina 于 2025 年 7 月 17 日在伊丽莎白女王医院去世。此前一天，凌晨 4 点，有人在她位于 Papar 的学校宿舍附近的排水沟旁发现她昏迷不醒，随后她被送往该医院。

庭审将于明日继续进行。——马新社

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