Plans for Development of Practical Community Mental Health Programmes
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns MP Mr Christopher de Souza's inquiry regarding the development of practical community mental health programmes, based on research from previous outbreaks like SARS, to help individuals and children cope with the COVID-19 pandemic. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung cited an Institute of Mental Health study on population psychological responses and highlighted existing support measures like the National CARE Hotline and HealthHub resources. For children and families, MSF offers parenting programmes such as the Positive Parenting Programme and Signposts, while MOE provides mental health education and teacher check-ins in schools. The Agency for Integrated Care also collaborates with community partners to establish mental health teams for outreach and support services, particularly for youths and at-risk individuals. These comprehensive efforts aim to provide psychological first aid and practical strategies to help Singaporeans manage the psychosocial impact of the current pandemic.
Transcript
15 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Health whether there are plans for the development of practical community mental health programmes, based on studies and research from previous national outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as SARS, to help individuals, particularly children, in coping with the psychological and psychosocial responses to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: A study by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) on Singapore population’s psychological responses and mental well-being found that about 13% of the respondents reported symptoms of depression or anxiety in the period from May 2020 to June 2021. Programmes were available to help provide Singaporeans with psychological support during this period and continue to be available.
The National CARE Hotline (NCH) provides emotional and psychological first aid to those who are affected. HPB provides a national mental health resources portal on HealthHub to provide Singaporeans with credible, reliable and convenient access to mental health information.
Specific programmes to help children and their families cope with the COVID-19 pandemic are also available. For example, MSF offers evidence-based parenting programmes, such as the Positive Parenting Programme (Triple P) and Signposts, to equip parents with skills and strategies to build strong, healthy relationships with their child (aged up to 16), and confidently manage their child’s behaviour.
Measures to support students’ mental health are provided in the schools by MOE. These include Mental Health Education lessons taught within the refreshed Character and Citizenship Education curriculum. Teachers also conduct regular check-ins to closely monitor and support students’ mental well-being.
The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has also been working with community partners to set up community mental health teams to reach out and offer a range of mental health support services for individuals, including youths, at risk of or suspected to have mental health conditions.