SINGAPORE: The government is injecting another S$35m into mental health programmes over the next three years. This is on top of the S$88m announced in 2007 to improve the mental well-being of Singaporeans.
Though the number of people seeking help for mental problems has not increased in recent months, more mental health education programmes will be put in place.
The public sector will implement a workplace mental health programme by 2010. And to get the private sector to follow suit, an employers-led alliance of 10 companies aims to spread the message.
James Wong, chairman of the Adult Subgroup in the National Mental Health Working Group, said: "These 10 companies have come together and agreed on a list of 10 best practices with a view to implementing all these practices in their own companies by the end of the year.
"As a second step after that, they would actually bring these practices to other companies, either by talking to their peers in the same industry or by working with employers associations."
Among the best practices are provision of medical coverage for psychiatric treatment of staff and provision of trauma and grief counselling for staff.
The Institute of Mental Health will also pilot a Job Club initiative to provide work placement services for stabilised patients.
But it is not just adults that the policy addresses. Come 2011, all schools will have a Support Team to facilitate the identification, referral and monitoring of students with mental health issues.
These Support Teams comprise existing personnel in the school who have experience and training in providing support for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties, such as school counsellors. The counsellors will have access to a helpline to consult psychiatrists on the problems they encounter.
The Support Teams will also be helped by a mobile centre of mental healthcare professionals such as psychiatrists, occupational therapists and nurses, who can provide treatment when needed.
To help the elderly, a mental health public education programme will be pushed out so that more people will understand dementia and depression and come forward to seek help earlier.
Another 420 staff from different agencies, such as town councils and grassroots organisations, are also going to be trained to help manage seniors with mental problems.
Why these initiatives?
Yong Ying-I, head of National Mental Health Working Group and Permanent Secretary for Health, said: "Some of our hard statistics, for example, like suicide rates, are actually dropping over time, which is good. So I think it shows that, overall, Singapore is in a fairly strong position.
"We would, however, like to strengthen the support base, particularly first line support among our community groups, in the schools, in the workplace."
And prevention is certainly better than cure.
- CNA/ir
Though the number of people seeking help for mental problems has not increased in recent months, more mental health education programmes will be put in place.
The public sector will implement a workplace mental health programme by 2010. And to get the private sector to follow suit, an employers-led alliance of 10 companies aims to spread the message.
James Wong, chairman of the Adult Subgroup in the National Mental Health Working Group, said: "These 10 companies have come together and agreed on a list of 10 best practices with a view to implementing all these practices in their own companies by the end of the year.
"As a second step after that, they would actually bring these practices to other companies, either by talking to their peers in the same industry or by working with employers associations."
Among the best practices are provision of medical coverage for psychiatric treatment of staff and provision of trauma and grief counselling for staff.
The Institute of Mental Health will also pilot a Job Club initiative to provide work placement services for stabilised patients.
But it is not just adults that the policy addresses. Come 2011, all schools will have a Support Team to facilitate the identification, referral and monitoring of students with mental health issues.
These Support Teams comprise existing personnel in the school who have experience and training in providing support for pupils with emotional and behavioural difficulties, such as school counsellors. The counsellors will have access to a helpline to consult psychiatrists on the problems they encounter.
The Support Teams will also be helped by a mobile centre of mental healthcare professionals such as psychiatrists, occupational therapists and nurses, who can provide treatment when needed.
To help the elderly, a mental health public education programme will be pushed out so that more people will understand dementia and depression and come forward to seek help earlier.
Another 420 staff from different agencies, such as town councils and grassroots organisations, are also going to be trained to help manage seniors with mental problems.
Why these initiatives?
Yong Ying-I, head of National Mental Health Working Group and Permanent Secretary for Health, said: "Some of our hard statistics, for example, like suicide rates, are actually dropping over time, which is good. So I think it shows that, overall, Singapore is in a fairly strong position.
"We would, however, like to strengthen the support base, particularly first line support among our community groups, in the schools, in the workplace."
And prevention is certainly better than cure.
- CNA/ir
