[h=2]Why 34, 000 Singaporeans Seeked Treatment For Mental Illnesses in IMH?[/h]Transitioning.org will be organising a Occupy Singapore protest event at Speakers' Corner soon. Please let us know if you want to speak at the event by emailing at [email protected]. Unity is strength - let's come out in force together Singaporeans for those who are unemployed and under employed! Let us be brave...stand out as one for your country! Singapore for Singaporeans!
Number of View: 60
In a Channel News Asia article dated 8 Nov last year, an IMH expert reported that one in ten children aged 6-16 has mental health disorders which represents roughly about 50, 000 children.
Five thousand of these cases needed pyschatric care.
Latest available figures show that suicide rates for those age between 10 and 19 years were at a six-year high in 2009. There were 19 suicides from this age group in 2009, compared to 12 in 2008.
The Ministry of Health in a statement released on 14 Sep 2009, also revealed that 5.6% of the population – representating almost 250, 000 Singaporeans – suffered from anxiety-related disorders based on a WHO study conducted in 2004.
The same article also reported that as of 2008, a total of 34, 000 patients have seeked treatment at our Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Note that IMH only treats the more serious form of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
It does not help that there is still some stigma associated with mental health issues and more than half of our sufferers do not seek proper treatment until it becomes a chronic medical problem.
Introduction
Krystal Aki Mizoguchi
Moreover, in just four short weeks this year, there have been at least three reported cases of teen suicides in Singapore.
Lim En Han and Krystal Aki Mizoguchi, both 18, and Darryle Tan Guan Wei, 16, all fell to their deaths.
Lim was a bright Hwa Chong Institution student who was pulled out of school after encountering relationship problems and difficulties with studies, while Mizoguchi was depressed after bad ‘A’-Level results ruined the Yishun Junior College student’s chances of getting into a local university.
Darryle Tan, a Sec 4 Express student, had been suspended from school for getting into trouble.
Singapore is really a stress-riddled society and many of us experience regular stressful events even as young as seven years old when we have failed our primary one exam!
When their parents divorced, our children also entered into a very stress-filled environment and if proper attention is not shown, they may end up mentally disturbed.
Each year, an average of 7, 000 divorces were recorded and if half of them has only one kid each, we have at least 3, 500 children at risk of suffering from a dysfunctional family setting.
Symptoms of depression
The following is a list of symptoms associated with depression:-
Educational stress faced by our young children
It seems that the stress associated with failing a school exam here is almost equivalent to losing your own family member! I have also witnessed how many children who did not do well in their exams have little self confidence in themselves and this is often manifested well into their adulthood.
Fortunately, most children could manage their stress level due to a better family support system but there will be the odd few that could not.
Stress and depression are almost like siblings and they accompanied most of our adverse life events. If you could properly manage them, you are literally on the way to recovery. However, the fact that so many people continue to regularly slip into chronic depression means that it is easier say than done.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in every 4 people, or 25% per cent of individuals, develops one or more mental disorders at some stage in life. Today, 450 million people globally suffer from mental disorders in both developed and developing countries. Of these, 154 million suffer from depression, 25 million from schizophrenia, 91 million from alcohol use disorder and 15 million drug use disorder.
According to Weekend Today dated 7 Aug 2010, the number of new depression cases in Singapore seen at the Institute of Mental Health has been rising from 1,193 in 2005, to 1,622 in 2007 and 1,847 cases last year.
Moreover, each day, at least ten Singaporeans will try to kill themselves and one will eventually succeed. Mutiple suicide attempts are also common among suicide victims.
Suicide in Singapore
In Singapore, there were 401 suicides in 2009 compared with 364 in 2008 with the biggest increase among those aged 20-29.
In a very well-written article entitled “Fighting and understanding the Woodbridge stigma” Singapore Angle reported the following:
“In Singapore, it was found that 16% of Singaporeans struggle with some form of mental disorder. While the figure is not a cause for alarm yet, it should be a cause of concern. Our employment landscape is changing, with job insecurity on the rise, even for well-educated professionals. It was highlighted in parliament earlier this year that there is an increase in older PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) being retrenched. This is a potential cause of a future increase in mental disorders such as anxiety and mood disorders. The middle class squeeze is also another potential cause.”
In stress-filled Singapore whereby even young primary school-going children experience performance anxiety almost on a daily basis, it is not surprising to note that we all grew up living with stress.
Though the government has done away with the stressful streaming examination at primary three level, the regular term exams mean that children as young as 7 years old continue to experience performance-anxiety at school.
Most children go to school now not to learn about new things but how to pass their exams with flying colours.
Chronic work stress sapping our society?
Work stress also affected many highly-qualified PMETs here and in one of our featured post, Philip wrote to us during an online interview regarding his few suicide attempts as a result of work stress:-
“Most treat me like as an economic digit – how little can they pay me and for how long can they wring out of me instead of focusing on my achievements when I did not suffer the debilitating effects of my medical condition.
Depression is a condition that has left me isolated. I spent a lot of my money and savings on treatment and in the end I decided to stop as I could not afford it with what I was earning.”
Work stress seemed to affect a huge proportion of our working population and in the Hudson Report Q3 2010, across all sectors, 53% of the respondents say that stress levels have risen in the past year, compared to 48% when this question was last asked in 2008.
Moreover, compared with other markets in Asia, Singapore has the highest proportion of respondents saying that stress levels have become significantly higher in the last year.
Though I have not attempted suicide before, I have experienced most of the stuff that my clients are going through and somehow this has helped them feel that if I could recover from the same nightmare, they can too…inevitably this has being my greatest asset when I speak with my clients.
Being jobless or divorced are both emotional energy sapping events and many took a long time to recover. If you are currently experiencing both events at the same time, there is a high chance that you are experiencing serious depression and stress.
Sometimes, medication is necessary to maintain your emotional well being and I am all for going to the psychiatrist for a prescription.
Of course, a few clients have experienced suicidal thoughts and some have even acted on their impulses to kill themselves. Fortunately, none of our clients here who have attempted suicide has yet died. However, in our field of work, you just have to prepare for that fateful day.
I have listed down a few quick recovery methods for my distressed readers:-
1. Seek support
Transitioning.org is happy to note that there are many Singaporeans out there who have written to us seeking support and counselling assistance.
After speaking with someone, the burden is often lighter as you have off loaded it from your chest.
It can be a close friend or a family member but the mere fact that you have look for support from someone is theraupetic.
We are all built to be a social creature and if we bottle up all our problems, it will not do us any good. Loneliness and depression are also time bombs waiting to explode.
The female gender tends to have an advantage here as they readily seek help from whoever that they can connect with.
On the other hand, men tend to face some resistance in seeking help as they want some form of control in their lives. By seeking support from someone else, they feel that they are not in control of themselves.
2. Plan out an exercise programme
This is almost my number one most effective way to get out of depression and stress.
Ten years ago when I was experiencing deep depression during my prolonged unemployment, I took up jogging and have never looked back.
Jogging has allowed me not to think about my problem when I ran and it has also make me a healthier person. I weighed a lean 65 kg and my weight has been constant for the past decade.
I ran marathons now and religiously jog thrice a week – even when I am abroad.
My jogging shoes, shorts and singlet are my regular companions throughout the world and I used them regularly.
Most of you will be sick of my slogan now but I still have to say it:-
“Exercise releases endorphins and they make you feel great.”
I love to feel great regularly and if I could stay fit doing it – why not?
However, it has to be done regularly at a minimum of 20 minutes each time to be really effective.
If you could do it like once a week, it is still alright but for maximum effect, it has to be done 2-3 times a week.
There are days that I could feel depression gripping me especially after a tough day at work and off I go with my running shoes.
Naturally, my mood stablises, my mind clears and my body feels light.
Though the problem still exists but after my run, I feel that I could conquer the world again.
So if you are currently experiencing great stress with whatever problem you are facing, plan out a regular exercise programme.
It could be aerobics, swimming or brisk walking. It is however advisable that you see a doctor for medical advice if you are above 40s or have a previous medical problem before.
You won’t regret the time spent pounding the pathways or chopping at the swimming pool – it will do you wonders.
Trust me – I am the benefactor of this great sweat wonder and I may not be the person I am today if not for it.
3. Volunteer your time
This is also one of my favourite ways to get out of depression and stress.
Volunteering allows the depressed person to firstly get out of the house and moreover when one actively seeks to do something for the betterment of another person, we all feel great.
Being truly altruistic is really a blessing to have and I can testify about it myself here.
I have volunteered full time now and have no proper income but I feel very fulfilling helping out my fellow Singaporean friends in deep distress.
There is this great feeling that you forget about your own problems when you help someone else to overcome their’s.
You also feel useful when you are out holding someone’s else hand when they walk their own painful journey.
Moreover, you feel that your own issue is not really that bad compared to others who may have multiple problems to handle.
I always advise my clients to volunteer their time and there are many channels to do so.
Most voluntary welfare organizations have avenues for volunteering and you can find them on this website. If you need any referrals with regard to volunteering, do email me at [email protected].
Conclusion
We live in a very stressful society here and if we are not careful we can be easily sucked in by stress and depression resulting in adverse consequences.
The performance anxiety syndrome experiences by our poor children in our unhealthy educational environment have rob them of the happy childhood moments that they ought to have.
The education ministry really needs to re-examine it’s system of having regular exams in the schools. Studies have long shown that people hardly use what they have studied in the class rooms but an inquisitive mind and a quest for new knowledge are long-termed useful elements to possess.
Our lack of employee rights have also resulted in our executives having to regularly work very late with low salaries. Unfair work practices were also not taken up by our ineffective unions and our PMETs have no where to turn to for arbitration.
Without much work life balance in place, many families became dysfunctional as married couples spent little time with one another and soon parted ways.
Singapore is living in a dangerous age and globalization has not make our country a better place to stay.
The influx of foreigners has increase the competition for jobs in our country and PMETs daily face the stress of losing their jobs to someone more efficient, faster and cheaper.
It is hope that our government will relook it’s foreign talent policy so that Singaporeans will at least be able to satisfy their basic need of looking after one’s own family.
If not, my fear is that more people will be weighed down by stress and depression with adverse consequences.
Written by: Gilbert Goh
Number of View: 60
In a Channel News Asia article dated 8 Nov last year, an IMH expert reported that one in ten children aged 6-16 has mental health disorders which represents roughly about 50, 000 children.
Five thousand of these cases needed pyschatric care.
Latest available figures show that suicide rates for those age between 10 and 19 years were at a six-year high in 2009. There were 19 suicides from this age group in 2009, compared to 12 in 2008.
The Ministry of Health in a statement released on 14 Sep 2009, also revealed that 5.6% of the population – representating almost 250, 000 Singaporeans – suffered from anxiety-related disorders based on a WHO study conducted in 2004.
The same article also reported that as of 2008, a total of 34, 000 patients have seeked treatment at our Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Note that IMH only treats the more serious form of mental illnesses such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
It does not help that there is still some stigma associated with mental health issues and more than half of our sufferers do not seek proper treatment until it becomes a chronic medical problem.
Introduction
Krystal Aki MizoguchiMoreover, in just four short weeks this year, there have been at least three reported cases of teen suicides in Singapore.
Lim En Han and Krystal Aki Mizoguchi, both 18, and Darryle Tan Guan Wei, 16, all fell to their deaths.
Lim was a bright Hwa Chong Institution student who was pulled out of school after encountering relationship problems and difficulties with studies, while Mizoguchi was depressed after bad ‘A’-Level results ruined the Yishun Junior College student’s chances of getting into a local university.
Darryle Tan, a Sec 4 Express student, had been suspended from school for getting into trouble.
Singapore is really a stress-riddled society and many of us experience regular stressful events even as young as seven years old when we have failed our primary one exam!
When their parents divorced, our children also entered into a very stress-filled environment and if proper attention is not shown, they may end up mentally disturbed.
Each year, an average of 7, 000 divorces were recorded and if half of them has only one kid each, we have at least 3, 500 children at risk of suffering from a dysfunctional family setting.
Symptoms of depression
The following is a list of symptoms associated with depression:-
- unusual sad mood that does not go away
- loss of enjoyment in activities that used to be enjoyable
- lack of energy or tiredness
- feeling anxious
- feeling empty or numb
- feeling lonely or unloved
- not being interested in anything, because nothing seems fun anymore
- crying and not knowing why you’re crying
- getting headaches or stomach aches
- not eating, and losing weight
- eating much more than usual
- not being able to get to sleep, or waking up early
- wanting to do nothing but sleep
- feeling grumpy or bad tempered
- starting to use, or using more drugs, including alcohol or tobacco
- thinking of death or suicide - all threats or talk of suicide should be taken seriously.
Educational stress faced by our young children
It seems that the stress associated with failing a school exam here is almost equivalent to losing your own family member! I have also witnessed how many children who did not do well in their exams have little self confidence in themselves and this is often manifested well into their adulthood.
Fortunately, most children could manage their stress level due to a better family support system but there will be the odd few that could not.
Stress and depression are almost like siblings and they accompanied most of our adverse life events. If you could properly manage them, you are literally on the way to recovery. However, the fact that so many people continue to regularly slip into chronic depression means that it is easier say than done.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 1 in every 4 people, or 25% per cent of individuals, develops one or more mental disorders at some stage in life. Today, 450 million people globally suffer from mental disorders in both developed and developing countries. Of these, 154 million suffer from depression, 25 million from schizophrenia, 91 million from alcohol use disorder and 15 million drug use disorder.
According to Weekend Today dated 7 Aug 2010, the number of new depression cases in Singapore seen at the Institute of Mental Health has been rising from 1,193 in 2005, to 1,622 in 2007 and 1,847 cases last year.
Moreover, each day, at least ten Singaporeans will try to kill themselves and one will eventually succeed. Mutiple suicide attempts are also common among suicide victims.
Suicide in Singapore
In Singapore, there were 401 suicides in 2009 compared with 364 in 2008 with the biggest increase among those aged 20-29.
In a very well-written article entitled “Fighting and understanding the Woodbridge stigma” Singapore Angle reported the following:
“In Singapore, it was found that 16% of Singaporeans struggle with some form of mental disorder. While the figure is not a cause for alarm yet, it should be a cause of concern. Our employment landscape is changing, with job insecurity on the rise, even for well-educated professionals. It was highlighted in parliament earlier this year that there is an increase in older PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians) being retrenched. This is a potential cause of a future increase in mental disorders such as anxiety and mood disorders. The middle class squeeze is also another potential cause.”
In stress-filled Singapore whereby even young primary school-going children experience performance anxiety almost on a daily basis, it is not surprising to note that we all grew up living with stress.
Though the government has done away with the stressful streaming examination at primary three level, the regular term exams mean that children as young as 7 years old continue to experience performance-anxiety at school.
Most children go to school now not to learn about new things but how to pass their exams with flying colours.
Chronic work stress sapping our society?
Work stress also affected many highly-qualified PMETs here and in one of our featured post, Philip wrote to us during an online interview regarding his few suicide attempts as a result of work stress:-
“Most treat me like as an economic digit – how little can they pay me and for how long can they wring out of me instead of focusing on my achievements when I did not suffer the debilitating effects of my medical condition.
Depression is a condition that has left me isolated. I spent a lot of my money and savings on treatment and in the end I decided to stop as I could not afford it with what I was earning.”
Work stress seemed to affect a huge proportion of our working population and in the Hudson Report Q3 2010, across all sectors, 53% of the respondents say that stress levels have risen in the past year, compared to 48% when this question was last asked in 2008.
Moreover, compared with other markets in Asia, Singapore has the highest proportion of respondents saying that stress levels have become significantly higher in the last year.
Though I have not attempted suicide before, I have experienced most of the stuff that my clients are going through and somehow this has helped them feel that if I could recover from the same nightmare, they can too…inevitably this has being my greatest asset when I speak with my clients.
Being jobless or divorced are both emotional energy sapping events and many took a long time to recover. If you are currently experiencing both events at the same time, there is a high chance that you are experiencing serious depression and stress.
Sometimes, medication is necessary to maintain your emotional well being and I am all for going to the psychiatrist for a prescription.
Of course, a few clients have experienced suicidal thoughts and some have even acted on their impulses to kill themselves. Fortunately, none of our clients here who have attempted suicide has yet died. However, in our field of work, you just have to prepare for that fateful day.
I have listed down a few quick recovery methods for my distressed readers:-
1. Seek support
Transitioning.org is happy to note that there are many Singaporeans out there who have written to us seeking support and counselling assistance.
After speaking with someone, the burden is often lighter as you have off loaded it from your chest.
It can be a close friend or a family member but the mere fact that you have look for support from someone is theraupetic.
We are all built to be a social creature and if we bottle up all our problems, it will not do us any good. Loneliness and depression are also time bombs waiting to explode.
The female gender tends to have an advantage here as they readily seek help from whoever that they can connect with.
On the other hand, men tend to face some resistance in seeking help as they want some form of control in their lives. By seeking support from someone else, they feel that they are not in control of themselves.
2. Plan out an exercise programme
This is almost my number one most effective way to get out of depression and stress.
Ten years ago when I was experiencing deep depression during my prolonged unemployment, I took up jogging and have never looked back.
Jogging has allowed me not to think about my problem when I ran and it has also make me a healthier person. I weighed a lean 65 kg and my weight has been constant for the past decade.
I ran marathons now and religiously jog thrice a week – even when I am abroad.
My jogging shoes, shorts and singlet are my regular companions throughout the world and I used them regularly.
Most of you will be sick of my slogan now but I still have to say it:-
“Exercise releases endorphins and they make you feel great.”
I love to feel great regularly and if I could stay fit doing it – why not?
However, it has to be done regularly at a minimum of 20 minutes each time to be really effective.
If you could do it like once a week, it is still alright but for maximum effect, it has to be done 2-3 times a week.
There are days that I could feel depression gripping me especially after a tough day at work and off I go with my running shoes.
Naturally, my mood stablises, my mind clears and my body feels light.
Though the problem still exists but after my run, I feel that I could conquer the world again.
So if you are currently experiencing great stress with whatever problem you are facing, plan out a regular exercise programme.
It could be aerobics, swimming or brisk walking. It is however advisable that you see a doctor for medical advice if you are above 40s or have a previous medical problem before.
You won’t regret the time spent pounding the pathways or chopping at the swimming pool – it will do you wonders.
Trust me – I am the benefactor of this great sweat wonder and I may not be the person I am today if not for it.
3. Volunteer your time
This is also one of my favourite ways to get out of depression and stress.Volunteering allows the depressed person to firstly get out of the house and moreover when one actively seeks to do something for the betterment of another person, we all feel great.
Being truly altruistic is really a blessing to have and I can testify about it myself here.
I have volunteered full time now and have no proper income but I feel very fulfilling helping out my fellow Singaporean friends in deep distress.
There is this great feeling that you forget about your own problems when you help someone else to overcome their’s.
You also feel useful when you are out holding someone’s else hand when they walk their own painful journey.
Moreover, you feel that your own issue is not really that bad compared to others who may have multiple problems to handle.
I always advise my clients to volunteer their time and there are many channels to do so.
Most voluntary welfare organizations have avenues for volunteering and you can find them on this website. If you need any referrals with regard to volunteering, do email me at [email protected].
Conclusion
We live in a very stressful society here and if we are not careful we can be easily sucked in by stress and depression resulting in adverse consequences.
The performance anxiety syndrome experiences by our poor children in our unhealthy educational environment have rob them of the happy childhood moments that they ought to have.
The education ministry really needs to re-examine it’s system of having regular exams in the schools. Studies have long shown that people hardly use what they have studied in the class rooms but an inquisitive mind and a quest for new knowledge are long-termed useful elements to possess.
Our lack of employee rights have also resulted in our executives having to regularly work very late with low salaries. Unfair work practices were also not taken up by our ineffective unions and our PMETs have no where to turn to for arbitration.
Without much work life balance in place, many families became dysfunctional as married couples spent little time with one another and soon parted ways.
Singapore is living in a dangerous age and globalization has not make our country a better place to stay.
The influx of foreigners has increase the competition for jobs in our country and PMETs daily face the stress of losing their jobs to someone more efficient, faster and cheaper.
It is hope that our government will relook it’s foreign talent policy so that Singaporeans will at least be able to satisfy their basic need of looking after one’s own family.
If not, my fear is that more people will be weighed down by stress and depression with adverse consequences.
Written by: Gilbert Goh
