The Straits Times | How Singapore is transforming the mental health landscape - video Dailymotion

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Recent studies have pointed to an increase in mental health issues globally and in Singapore. Find out how the government is implementing a national mental healthcare strategy, consolidating and strengthening its resources at various levels of care.  WATCH MORE: https://thestartv.com/c/news SUBSCRIBE: https://cutt.ly/TheStar LIKE: https://fb.com/TheStarOnline

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00:00It's the watchword of the modern age.

00:02We're talking about raising mental health measures

00:05close to mental health conditions.

00:06The government is making mental health and well-being

00:09a key priority in our national agenda.

00:13There's no health without mental health.

00:15But what is the mental health situation in Singapore?

00:17And how are we tackling it?

00:19To frame the discussion, let's go back to a pivotal moment

00:22when the mental well-being of the country was in the spotlight.

00:25The COVID-19 pandemic.

00:28After the circuit breaker was introduced,

00:30we observed an increase in the utilisation of mental health services.

00:34It was such a concern that the COVID-19 Mental Wellness Task Force

00:38was started by the Health Ministry.

00:40It eventually became the Inter-Agency Task Force

00:42on Mental Health and Well-Being,

00:44chaired by Dr. Jarno Puttacherry.

00:46As we went through COVID,

00:48we learned a lot of lessons.

00:49What works, what doesn't work?

00:50How do people react?

00:51How do people behave?

00:52When COVID passed,

00:53we had already had this idea about restrategising around mental health.

00:57The rise in mental health issues has also coincided

01:00with the seismic growth of smartphones and social media.

01:03Gaming addiction, bullying or sense of self-worth.

01:06These causes of mental health disorders

01:08have been amplified by digital technologies and social media.

01:12A recent National Youth Mental Health Study

01:14said one in three youth in Singapore

01:17have experienced poor mental health.

01:19Research around the world has also found

01:21that adolescents who spend more than three hours a day on social media

01:25may be at heightened risk for mental health problems,

01:28particularly mood and anxiety disorders.

01:31So what are we doing about it?

01:34In Singapore, schools are banning smartphones

01:36to get students to talk to their friends.

01:39Active ageing centres provide a space for seniors to socialise.

01:43There are plans to increase the number of psychiatrists and psychologists.

01:47A new mental health helpline will start in 2025.

01:51A National Mental Health Competency Training Framework

01:54will train professionals and volunteers

01:56to better communicate and help those in distress.

01:59It's like a no-wrong-door policy.

02:01That it shouldn't matter where you go to,

02:03as long as it's someone you have the comfort with.

02:06For some people, that'll be a social worker,

02:09someone in a social service agency,

02:11could be a general practitioner, could be a polyclinic,

02:12could be a counsellor, could be a colleague at work.

02:15Many factors contribute to our mental health.

02:18Our environment and living conditions.

02:21Genetics.

02:22Whether we have experienced some sort of trauma.

02:25Smartphones and life in a busy city can build walls between us.

02:29But rather than breaking down these walls,

02:31we can look for pathways and spaces to reach out and rebuild connections.

02:36And it is increasingly apparent that connections are a big part of the solution.

02:41So our approach to mental health should not be a you thing,

02:44but an us.

The Straits Times | How Singapore is transforming the mental health landscape

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