Good Afternoon,
Mr Adrian Toh, President of the Singapore Psychological Society,
distinguished guests, colleagues, and friends who have joined us today.
1 It is my privilege to join you today at the inaugural commemoration of the World Mental Health Day by the Singapore Psychological Society. I would like to thank the Society for bringing us together under this year's theme, which resonates very strongly with me: "Community: Supporting Mental Well-being Together."
A Shared National Priority
2 Mental health has been made a key priority in Singapore's national agenda. The National Mental Health and Well-Being Strategy was launched in 2023 by the then-Inter-agency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being. It reflects Singapore's commitment to creating an effective mental health ecosystem of care where each and every individual has access to timely good quality mental healthcare. This also means that those who need help with their mental wellbeing can seek help early at their level of need, as well as receive help more readily for their recovery.
3 As mentioned by Mr Adrian earlier, policies alone are not enough. As a psychiatrist, I have seen how mental health issues do not discriminate; and behind every statistic at a population level, is really a person, a neighbour, a colleague, a loved one, who deserves dignity, support, and hope in their time of struggle. Mental well-being must be lived out in our schools, neighbourhoods, workplaces, and our everyday lives. It resonates very clearly with your theme of Community.
Reducing Stigma, Encouraging Help-Seeking
4 As a society, we must continue to take steps at reducing stigma. Notwithstanding the many changes we have taken together as a community, people may still feel that seeking help for mental distress is a sign of weakness. Yet, we know that the opposite is true – recognising our vulnerability and reaching out is a sign of courage and strength.
5 This is where the community places a vital role by normalising conversations about mental health. This continues to be a work in progress. We have had the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) with their Beyond the Label campaign, since 2018 and still active today. You might have heard about the recent BTL Festival earlier in September. In addition, our Health Promotion Board continues to push the boundaries with awareness regarding mental health and wellbeing through programmes in our schools and workplaces, as well as online through the MindSG platform.
6 So whether you are a mental health professional, a teacher, an employer, a parent, or simply a friend – each and every one of us has a role to play in terms of building awareness and acceptance of mental well-being. Small acts of empathy, such as checking in on a neighbour or listening without judgment, create the safe space to encourage individuals to step forward to access the care they need.
Building Support in Communities
7 In Nee Soon GRC, where I serve as a Member of Parliament, I have witnessed the power of community. From grassroots volunteers checking in on elderly residents, to youth organising activities for their peers and engaging in peer support activities, as well as resident committees creating safe spaces for intimate mental health conversations — these efforts remind us of the importance of social support and its impact on mental wellbeing at the level of community.
8 It is important that we continue to strengthen this mental wellbeing support in our communities, and our desire to start them young in our schools as well.
9 Schools are more than centres of academic learning. We see them as communities of care so we recognise that improving mental health literacy and building mental resilience must start at a young age. To enable children and youth to take active steps in building their mental wellness, resilience building, and mental health education are a critical part of the Character and Citizenship Education (CCE) curriculum today.
10 Students learn about healthy mindsets, habits and skills to strengthen their mental well-being and ways to stay resilient in the face of challenges, whether personal, academic, family, or anything else present in their times of youth. This foundation then continues in our primary and secondary schools, to our Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), which offer a range of mental well-being programmes and activities, including modules and workshops on mental health, which some of you champion and anchor.
11 Through all of this, we are trying to teach life skills such as emotional regulation, perspective-taking, and conflict resolution, some of which are part of topics discussed by our speakers today. These are no longer considered "soft" skills, but essential tools and resources that enable our young people to then flourish amid the pressures of a very fast-changing world. By fostering mental resilience from young, we are creating a generation that stands strong in the face of both personal challenges and collective crises as the COVID-19 pandemic will not be the last one that we face as a society.
12 These efforts only come alive when our communities embrace them, and when you as a psychologist, as well as individuals in the mental health sector continue to encourage people to look out for one another.
13 All stakeholders –especially parents and families – need to work in concert if we want to make a material difference to the mental well-being of our people, especially our youth. This was a key impetus of the Parenting for Wellness Initiative, which was developed holistically and collectively by the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Social and Family Development, and the Health Promotion Board under the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy. This initiative aims to empower and equip our parents with skills to build strong parent-child relationships, strengthen their children's mental well-being and emotional resilience. It covers various topics such as cyberbullying, understanding mental health and well-being, and supporting children to cope with difficult emotions such as stress and anxiety.
A Call to Action and Looking Ahead
14 As we confront global uncertainties, the importance of resilient communities will only grow. It is not going to diminish and there will be further challenges ahead, and certainly mental health will be one of the key pillars of our ability as a society to be able to adapt, recover and thrive. We must continue to weave mental health into every layer of our society.
15 On this World Mental Health Day, I urge everyone of us to reaffirm our commitment – to foster a society that not only talks about mental health, but also take steps to act with compassion, courage and with community at the heart of it all. I wish to commend the Singapore Psychological Society for its leadership in the mental health sector and all of you for your commitment to this cause. Together, we will build an inclusive Singapore, a society that exemplifies care and compassion for us all.
16 I wish you all a meaningful afternoon of learning, connection and inspiration. Thank you.