Two-thirds of the patients were in primary school or pre-primary centres, according to data released at the opening of a new behavioural health services clinic.

Tan Chue Tin, a consultant psychiatrist, said Singapore's competitive environment generated stress.

"The school system is very result-oriented. As a result, parents become anxious and push their children to succeed, sometimes beyond their means," Tan was quoted as saying in the Straits Times Mar 2. Most of the children seeking psychiatric help were suffering from anxiety disorders and behavioural problems.

The senior parliamentary secretary for the community development ministry, Yu-Foo Yee Shoon described the trend as disturbing, and said a secure family environment was optimal for child development.

Divorces in Singapore have risen nearly 66 percent in the past decade and "this means that young children are caught in distressful marital break-ups and the problems of single parenting that follow," she said.

Singapore, a small but affluent city-state has been hammering the importance of education to its citizens to make up for its lack of natural resources.

A recent survey showed parents in Singapore spent S$320 million (US$185 million) a year, or about S$1 million dollars a day, on extra tuition to boost the academic performance of their children. But another survey found that 33 percent of 9-12 year-olds considered life not worth living because of the fear of academic failure.

A Singapore woman was recently jailed for nine months for caning and kicking her nine-year-old son when he asked for homework help on the eve of an exam.

The mother was said to have been furious with her son for not paying attention in class.

Reports late last year of excessive punishment, including a nine-year-old caned by his mother for only getting 83 percent in a science exam, led Education Minister Teo Chee Hean to issue a public plea for parents not to belt children who do not meet exam expectations.

Tinkle Friend, a child-help hotline in Singapore, said it took an average 1500 calls a month, mostly from primary school pupils.

Across the population, nearly 17 percent of Singaporeans have neurotic disorders such as anxiety and depression, double the number of 20 years ago.