SINGAPORE, Aug 1 — When Sam graduated from primary school and started classes in secondary school four years ago, he found it tough to make friends.
“ suddenly, I had violent thoughts in my head” recounted Sam. He then grabbed the nearest weapon he could find — a compass which had a sharp pointy end — to attempt to attack his accuser. Police investigations revealed that the older teenager — who has been charged with murder — had previously attempted suicide in 2019 and was a patient at the Institute of Mental Health .
Chan also announced several new measures to boost mental well-being in schools, including the deployment of more teacher-counsellors, and getting teachers to receive enhanced professional development on mental health literacy. “Combined with the negative thoughts I had at that time, it was nothing short of a miracle that my situation didn’t worsen,” he said, adding that he has come a long way since then.
While TODAY’s interviews found that parents and students are becoming more aware of mental well-being, counsellors said that one perennial problem remains: The stigma attached to children’s mental health issues, especially among parents.
Counsellors, such as Sophia Goh of Sofia Wellness Clinic, said they had seen a spike in the number of students turning to them for help during the pandemic, amid an already increasing trend over the past few years. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Education said in response to TODAY’s queries that the number of students who have seen or have been referred to their school counsellors for social, emotional or mental health issues has remained “largely stable” over the last few years.
Currently, when Covid-19 cases surface in various schools, the affected schools would also impose temporary HBL for its students. “Uncertainty about the future and sense of helplessness about the pandemic situation could further exacerbate their psychological and emotional symptoms,” added Dr Ong, who is also a senior consultant at IMH.
They noted that the benchmark to succeed for youth nowadays had changed from that of previous generations. The first-year student at a junior college , said that she had difficulty coping with a new academic environment.