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Mental health is a highly stigmatized and polarizing issue in Singapore, which is bizarre as about 12% in Singapore will suffer or are suffering from a mental disorder - that’s one in eight people. The top three most prevalent mental disorders in Singapore are depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and alcohol abuse. However, the topic is rarely touched on and raises much controversy in households. People are not being supported in ways that are healthy and tend to fall to various addictions in order to overcome their mental health issues. Oftentimes, the beds in public and private mental health wards are filled to the brim, and the Samaritans of Singapore (Singapore mental health hotline) are frequently overwhelmed by the number of calls flooding in from across the island.
One may wonder what qualifies as a mental disorder? According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), a mental disorder is “a syndrome characterized by the clinically significant disturbance in an individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behaviour that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning.” This definition is vastly unknown and the more common and misconstrued definition is simply “crazy,” a term Singaporeans brazenly throw around. The other day, a car horn blared at my taxi driver because he had not moved and the light had already turned green. In a fit of rage, he shouted “That driver is mad! He should go to the doctor and get help!”
The hyperpolarization of clinical terms creates a negative impact on those with actual conditions; their mental health condition is devalued in terms of seriousness and oftentimes, people with these disorders aren’t taken seriously or treated correctly. For example, a patient with a form of psychosis or schizophrenia may be prone to hallucinations and may act out in public. Instead of helping these people ground themselves or taking them to a safer place, people often call the police for no reason other than the fact that they view them as ‘inconveniences.’
Only around 70% of people with mental disorders choose to seek help, whether it be through psychiatry, counselling, or spiritual help - that still leaves an estimated 30% struggling. People are afraid of seeking help, particularly through the governmental system (even though it is cheaper), due to the fact that records are kept and it frequently proves to be detrimental to getting a job. Ex-patients of the IMH have low-paid job opportunities that lie primarily in the service industry, like cleaning staff or gardeners. Ex-patients with PhDs cannot get hired in large businesses, mainly due to the incessant stigma of being a ‘crazy’ person - they are offered the same low-paid jobs that do not allow them to demonstrate their skills and intelligence. This generally leads them to reject the job offers out of pride and they remain vastly unemployed.
There is also an epidemic of mental health issues rising within the ageing population - around 13% of elders are diagnosed with a mental disorder, the main one being dementia. Suicide rates among elders have skyrocketed in the past few decades, and although the government is trying to put into place programmes that help rehabilitate or care for these elders, there simply is not enough being done to account for all these people with mental health issues. There is no way we can combat this wave of disorders without the help of the public.
If you know anyone going through a rough patch, reach out and make sure they know that you are there for them - it could make a lifetime’s worth of impact upon them. If you or a close friend are struggling with mental illness, seek help. The school counselling team is available on a walk-in basis and what you say is strictly confidential unless you pose a threat to yourself or someone else. If you are in desperate need to talk to someone, give the Samaritans of Singapore a call - their hotline is 1800-221-4444. Stay vigilant in the battle against mental disorder and support your friends. Remember, one in eight people are suffering.