12/13/2023 0 Comments Words from conjureMental health advocates and young interviewees diagnosed with mental health conditions, whom TODAY spoke to, agreed that the rise in mental health awareness had led to terms associated with therapy-speak such as “triggered”, “boundaries” and “gaslighting” becoming increasingly common within the social lexicon. Ms Ong’s comments were made in reference to a trend coined internationally as “therapy speak” - the adoption and use of therapeutic language and terms outside of the clinical setting, typically in everyday conversations. “Therefore in surveys, studies or conversations, they're going to be more equipped to indicate how they feel in more specific terms,” added the former Nominated Member of Parliament. “We must also know that today’s youths have a lot more mental health awareness. Panel discussions and presentations focusing on youth mental health were also a key part of the two-day Singapore Mental Health Conference held at the Singapore Expo earlier this week.īut despite local and international surveys depicting a global “youth mental health crisis”, some mental health advocates said that people must not jump to the conclusion that the current generation of youths, here or overseas, are “particularly susceptible” to poor mental health.Īccording to Ms Anthea Ong, founder of advocacy group SG Mental Health Matters, youths will “always be the most challenged in any generation” as they would have to deal with the instability that comes with hormonal and neurological changes, as well as societal stress factors like examinations and entering the workforce. Meanwhile, the government’s formation of the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being in 2021 resulted in the unveiling of a new national strategy to tackle the issue on Thursday (Oct 5).Ī new specialised care facility - a pilot to support youth who are at risk of suicide - is among the initiatives the government intends to roll out. Mental health professionals and advocates told TODAY that since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2019, during which many Singaporeans were forced to limit their social interactions with others, the subject of mental health has increasingly pervaded the country’s social consciousness.Ĭampaigns like the National Council of Social Service’s (NCSS) Beyond the Label and the Health Promotion Board’s “It’s OKAY to Reach Out” were launched in 20 respectively. Six years on, the prevalence of mental health issues among youth appeared to have worsened, with the highest proportion of Singaporeans with poor mental health coming from the 18 to 29 age group at 25.3 per cent, according to the 2022 National Population Health Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health (MOH), which was published last month. “My mother would say in Mandarin, ‘I’ve eaten more salt than you’ve had grains of rice’,” she said, implying that people “back in the day” had more challenges to deal with.Īnother interviewee spoke of how her parents neither accepted nor validated her struggles, and started to “push her away” after she began showing signs of reclusiveness due to trauma - in stark contrast to how they treated her brother who had been diagnosed with another mental health disorder.Īs the world marks Mental Health Day on Oct 10 amid global concerns that today’s youths are more mentally unwell than previous generations due to a myriad of uncertainties, TODAY spoke to mental health experts, advocates and survivors for some insights into how Singapore is dealing with the issue, and how youths can be better supported in their struggles.īack in 2016, a Singapore Mental Health Study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) showed that one in seven persons here had experienced a mood, anxiety or alcohol use disorder in their lifetime.Īmong them, young people aged 18 to 34 had the highest prevalence rate of 21.6 per cent. One interviewee who did not wish to be named said that her parents had hinted that she was part of a “soft” generation of youths. From TODAY’s recent interviews with Ms Poo, Ms Tan and five other youths who had struggled with their mental health, one common thread that emerged with regard to how loved ones responded to their battle against mental illness was how extreme those reactions could be - from denial and dismissive to showing care and concern.
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