Promoting Awareness of Assistance for People with Mental Illnesses
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the measures taken to increase awareness of mental health assistance for individuals, including those undiagnosed due to stigma, as raised by Mr Christopher de Souza. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong highlighted school-based initiatives like psycho-emotional programs and peer support, alongside workplace workshops to equip managers with identification and support skills. Community efforts include the Agency for Integrated Care’s CREST teams for outreach and screening, as well as healthy ageing workshops focusing on dementia and depression. To combat stigma, the National Council of Social Service will run a multi-year public education campaign with Tote Board support, complemented by various resource publications. Finally, Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong noted the Institute of Mental Health’s public forums and grassroots collaborations to empower the broader community to support at-risk residents.
Transcript
29 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Health what is being done to make people with mental illnesses aware of the help they can receive, including those who may have yet to be diagnosed due to fear of social stigma.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: There are various initiatives by the Government, as well as healthcare and community providers, to proactively reach out to increase awareness of mental health conditions and provide information on avenues to seek help.
In the school environment, the Health Promotion Board (HPB) runs a series of psycho-emotional programmes to equip students with skills to manage stress and emotions, and collaborates with the Ministry of Education to equip educators and school counsellors with skills to provide support in challenging times. Students needing greater support are referred to school counsellors and mental health professionals, such as the Child Guidance Clinic at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Peer support structures are also being put in place in mainstream schools and Institutes of Higher Learning to support students in distress and encourage them to seek help early.
To encourage a more supportive workplace environment for employees, HPB organises a workshop for managers to help them identify staff who are facing difficulties at work or may have mental health issues, as well as equip these managers with skills on how to approach, support and encourage staff to seek help early.
In community settings, the Ministry of Health and HPB conduct a series of healthy ageing workshops, which include tips on dementia and depression education to facilitate seeking help early. The Community Resource, Engagement and Support Teams (CREST), set up by the Agency for Integrated Care, reaches out to persons who may be at risk of mental health issues or dementia. CREST teams also provide mental health information and education to the public through their outreach activities. For persons screened to have mental health or dementia symptoms, the teams offer basic emotional support for them or their caregivers and link them to appropriate services in the community.
To reduce stigma of mental health conditions, the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will be embarking on a multi-year public education campaign that aims to promote an inclusive society for persons with mental health issues, with support from Tote Board. This is in addition to NCSS' publication of the Removing Barriers booklet on Interacting with Persons with Mental Health Issues.
IMH also spearheads annual World Mental Health Day events and public forums and collaborates with various Voluntary Welfare Organisations and schools to promote understanding of mental health through a variety of activities and events. We will also continue to work with grassroots and community partners to empower the broader community to recognise residents at-risk and better support them in the community.