SINGAPORE - Some Singaporean children and young adults have missed an average of 24 days of school in the past year due to symptoms of depression and anxiety, a recent study showed.
A similar survey on Singaporean adults was published in April, and showed that one in five here have symptoms of depression and anxiety, are costing Singapore around 2.9 per cent, or nearly $16 billion, of its gross domestic product. Nearly 12 per cent of the youths showed symptoms consistent with depression, while about 13 per cent had anxiety symptoms. In total, 16.2 per cent of the youths had symptoms consistent with at least one of these conditions. But only 15 per cent had a formal diagnosis from a health professional.
In total, 77 per cent of respondents said their child received healthcare treatment for their mental health condition over the past three months. 62 per cent reported medication use, with 37 per cent using a daily anti-depressant or anti-anxiety medication.