In the context of the pandemic and the circuit breaker in Singapore, the designation of psychological treatments as a non-essential service is an obvious starting point. Yet, it also seems appropriate to both consider the state of mental health wellness and advocacy in the country before the pandemic, as well as our aspirations for where we want mental health wellness and advocacy to be.

Nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong has been an advocate for improved affordability, accessibility, and quality of mental health services, who started her advocacy even before her appointment in 2018. In addition to her motivations and perspectives, our conversation revolved around the evolution of her thinking, her concerns during this circuit breaker and pandemic, and her important calls to action.