socialservice.sg presents: "Before the Ballot"

“Are we OK with the price of not being OK?”: The mental health and well-being of Singaporeans (with former NMP Anthea Ong)

Jun 23, 2024

Former NMP Anthea Ong discusses mental health in Singapore post GE2020, highlighting rising mental health issues, stigma, and recent policy changes. The podcast delves into debates on police powers, trauma-informed approaches, and the role of mental health in future Singaporean elections.

43:54

Creator website

Episode guests

Anthea Ong

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Quick takeaways

Studies show rising mental health issues in Singapore, especially among youth and elderly demographics.

Singapore has made significant policy changes towards mental health, focusing on education, workplace practices, and systemic initiatives.

Deep dives

Mental Health State in Singapore

The current state of mental health and wellbeing in Singapore has shown concerning trends, with studies indicating a significant increase in the number of people experiencing poor mental health. Surveys revealed that about one in five individuals in Singapore struggle with mental health issues, indicating a rise from previous reports. Notably, a study focusing on Singaporean teenagers highlighted high rates of depression, anxiety, and loneliness, underscoring the impact on the youth population. Moreover, suicide rates have reached a 22-year peak, especially alarming among the youth and elderly demographics.

Challenges of Mental Health in South Asia

01:46

Intro

2min

Assessment of Mental Health in Singapore and Policy Changes

17min

Debate on Police Powers in Mental Health Cases

10min

Approaching Crises with a Trauma-Informed Approach

10min

Exploring the Role of Mental Health in Future General Elections

5min

The links between mental health and well-being and Singapore’s general elections may not be immediately clear. Yet, in GE2020, during a pandemic election which also placed emphasis on how Singaporeans were doing psychologically, many electoral candidates and political parties campaigned on related platforms. With former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong, we first asked her to assess the current state of mental health and well-being in Singapore. Then, we discuss how these issues may feature in the next general election, after examining recent parliamentary amendments which were made and passed in the Law Enforcement and Other Matters Bill.

We previously hosted Anthea on this podcast in 2020 and 2021:

Mental health: Awareness, acceptance, and action (A conversation with NMP Anthea Ong)
“Are we listening?”: Coalescing around downstream and upstream mental health action (Anthea Ong; COVID-19, one year on)
#AreWeOkay and the proposal for a Mental Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Office in Singapore

The feature photos are by ⁠⁠Ng Shi Wen⁠⁠ (episode) and Kelli McClintock on Unsplash (cover).

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