By Chia Xun An //
In a highly competitive society such as Singapore, it is no surprise that the complexities, desires, and pressures of our 724-square kilometre metropolis can increase the risk of poor mental health. Reports showed an increase in stress and burnout, with $3.1 billion being spent on stress-related illnesses annually, including mental health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. Prior to COVID-19, suicide was also the leading cause of death for young people last year.
The upending and disruption to our daily routines and livelihoods, particularly during the “circuit breaker” period has led to increased media reports about feelings of stress, anxiety, and isolation among Singaporeans from all walks of life. As a result of the measures, 1 in 4 respondents indicated they were not in good mental health and more than 23,000 people have called the National Care Hotline due to financial and psychological stressors as of July 2020.
For better or worse, COVID-19 has highlighted the need and urgency to foster an environment in which mental health conversations are normalised, be it in our schools, workplaces, or communities.
The Dimension of Mental Health
While the exact cause for most mental health conditions are not known, research has shown that a combination of biological, psychological, and environmental factors may cause one to be more susceptible to it.
As an individual who has been advocating for mental health issues, I often ask myself these questions:
- What can we do to promote a psychologically safe social environment in which individuals can openly seek treatment and help without fear?
- What are the challenges to creating that environment, and how do we address them?
- Are we able to reach a point where the topic about having and managing a mental health condition is one that can be discussed openly in a normalised manner, particularly within our schools and workplaces?
The perceptions and attitudes surrounding the issues of mental health have rapidly evolved over the past decade. From being a topic that was once culturally taboo and negatively portrayed, significant strides have been made, particularly in the area of mental health awareness.
Such non-exhaustive progress include increased conversations (either online or on via curated talks), a shift to a more balanced or positive portrayal of mental health conditions within film and media, as well as an increase in de-stigmatisation campaigns and movement, such as the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) Beyond the Label campaign and WorkWell Leaders Workgroup.
Individuals with mental health conditions have also made strides by making more active decisions to self-advocate, either through online platforms such as The Tapestry Project or when it comes to interviews with the media. In essence, the level of mental health awareness has increased significantly within Singapore, covering a wide spectrum within society.
In spite of these achievements, challenges remain and continue to evolve.
These include the increasing prevalence of mental health issues amongst youths, as well as bread-and-butter issues, such as workplace disclosure and support for those with mental health conditions. Despite increased awareness, negative perceptions and stigma continue to exist, as evidenced by recent studies conducted.
Fostering a Positive Social Environment for Mental Health
As someone who understands how the physical environment shapes the social environment, I believe that one of the key steps in normalising mental health conversations is creating mandatory ‘safe spaces’ in which individuals can openly talk about their fears, anxieties, and mental health in general. There have been increasing attempts by various organisations to start such conversations through the organisation of mental health-related events, along with online discussions (through Zoom) during this period.
While the main theme for such events can be solutions-focused (such as building resilience, managing negative emotions, or wanting to help someone else) or inspirational (such as engaging someone to share their personal mental health journey), such conversations may run the risk of being one-sided in nature.
What can we do to make mental health conversations a truly open, two-way conversation?
We may need to change the way we currently carry out such conversations, and how we view those who choose to reveal their mental health conditions in such conversations.
From a format that typically focuses the perspectives and experiences of a few prolific individuals, we need to move towards one that is more audience-oriented. One in which individuals within the audience with a mental health condition can feel safe disclosing their condition to move the conversation towards normalisation forward.
The topic of disclosure can be tricky and nuanced, and is typically shrouded with stigma. While this can be a perennial chicken-and-egg problem, we need to find a way to break through that.
This means changing and evolving the current perception of mental health disclosure to a more complex and nuanced one. Instead of stereotyping people into either pitiful individuals who evoke sympathy or discomfort, or ‘heroes’ who evoke admiration, we should ultimately move towards viewing persons-in-recovery as active participants and contributors in mental health discourse.
We can only normalise mental health conversations, when the perception of those suffering from mental health conditions are normalised itself within said conversation.
Lastly, we also need the movers and shakers of our society to champion the facilitation of such conversations to be embedded within the facets of our society – within our educational institutes as part of their core curriculum, or within workplaces as part of their employee engagement.
The increased awareness of mental health over the years is something we can acknowledge and celebrate as proof of a progressive society. However, we may have reached a saturation point in which awareness can ultimately do so much. The conversation needs to evolve.
In a world where the negative effects of COVID-19 is here to stay, mental health is something all of us will inadvertently grapple with, either directly or indirectly. Despite the challenges ahead, we all have the ability and capacity to help further shape and evolve our discourse on the topic of mental health, regardless of where we stand in society.
Chia Xun An is a graduating student from the University of Newcastle majoring in Construction Management.
Image credit: Dreamstime