SPEECH BY DR AMY KHOR, SENIOR MINISTER OF STATE FOR HEALTH, AT THE SINGAPORE MINDFULNESS CONFERENCE 2019, AT THE NUS UNIVERSITY CULTURAL CENTRE HALL

Prof Choo Chiau Beng, Rector, National University of Singapore Residential College 4 and Patron, Brahm Centre

Distinguished Speakers

Ladies and Gentlemen

1.         Good morning. It really gives me great pleasure to join you today at the Singapore Mindfulness Conference 2019, that is co-organised by Brahm Centre and the National University of Singapore (NUS).

The need for investment in mental health

2.         The Singapore Mental Health Study conducted in 2016 found that one in seven persons had experienced a mental health condition in their lifetime and this was an increase from one in eight persons from the previous study in 2010. With mental health conditions becoming an increasingly significant cause of disease burden in the Singapore population, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has committed to investing in mental health in the community through the enhanced Community Mental Health Masterplan. Launched in 2017, this Masterplan is a multi-pronged strategy to increase outreach, early detection and provide care and support to those living with mental health conditions in the community.

3.         There has been progress on these fronts, with over 14,000 frontline staff from government agencies and community partners trained by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to identify and respond to persons with mental health conditions, and more than 190 General Practitioner partners trained to diagnose and support persons with mental health conditions in the community as of December last year. AIC has acted as a first touchpoint to strengthen the response to mental health needs in the community and coordinate care. Between April 2015 and December last year, it has coordinated care for more than 2,700 cases. AIC has also set up a network of 39 community outreach teams, which was established to educate the public on mental health conditions and dementia, and to reach out to persons at risk of depression and/ or dementia. These teams have reached out to over 210,000 persons as of end of last year. This has increased the overall capability in the community to manage mental health conditions, as we aim to go beyond the hospital to delivering care within the community.

Promotion of mental well-being as a preventive strategy

4.         In addition to these initiatives which increase touchpoints for persons with mental health conditions to seek support in the community, there is also a need to enhance our efforts in mental health promotion. The Health Promotion Board (HPB) has implemented various initiatives targeting different segments of our population, from students to working adults to seniors, to optimise mental well-being as a primary preventive strategy. For example for students, HPB, together with the Ministry of Education (MOE), trains students at mainstream schools and Institutes of Higher Learning to be peer supporters to support their friends and make it easier for them to access needed help. HPB also works with employers to offer workshops which include stress-relieving activities and stress management activities for the employees.

5.         In addition, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), KK Women and Children’s Hospital, the National University Hospital and MOE have collaborated in the Response, Early Intervention, Assessment in Community Mental Health (REACH) programme which promotes mental well-being for our students. The REACH programme supports mainstream schools in taking care of students’ mental health. It consists of teams of mental health professionals which support school counsellors in providing all students with stress management techniques, coping skills and social skills training to build resiliency. They can also provide specialised school-based interventions for students who have been diagnosed with mental illness, if required.

6.         MOH has been working closely with MOE, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, and the Ministry of Social and Family Development, and other agencies to better understand the factors that lead our youth to engage in acts of self-harm and attempt suicide. While the trend of suicides in Singapore residents aged between 10 to 19 years has not increased over the last 20 years, one suicide is nonetheless one too many. We will continue to work with other ministries and agencies to increase public awareness of the factors that can lead to youth self-harm, expand our existing efforts to promote mental well-being, as well as to develop appropriate interventions to help and support our at-risk youth. One such example is the training and equipping of the pre-school educators to build social and emotional competencies and resilience in our young children from an early age by the HPB.

7.         Mental well-being is vital at all stages of life to enable individuals to lead meaningful lives and deal with challenges and stresses that arise. The Singapore Mental Health Study done in 2010 showed that among those with mental health disorders, about half of these had a co-existing chronic physical illness. In view of the complex interplay between mental and physical health, it is important to adopt a holistic approach that considers both mental and physical wellbeing in our efforts to improve the health of our population.

Efforts by community partners in promotion of mental health

8.         MOH also recognises the many efforts of community partners to promote mental well-being among Singaporeans. A whole-of-society approach is required to shift mindsets and build emotional and mental resilience to prevent mental health conditions in Singapore, and it is encouraging to see that all of you gathered here this morning are committed to these efforts.

 9.         One of these efforts which is highlighted at this conference is mindfulness, a practice to promote mental well-being in the community. At Brahm Centre, the take-up rate for the mindfulness course has increased exponentially since they started in 2012 and have reached out to a wide audience of over 32,500 thus far.

10.       In an important step to promote evidence-based practice, Brahm Centre has partnered with Duke-NUS in a local study involving some 96 participants, which demonstrated that a four-week mindfulness practice can reduce anxiety and ruminative thoughts before sleep, and that this reduction is associated with better sleep quality. The study is being published in the journal, Mindfulness. These findings can help to adapt and refine the practice of mindfulness in the Singapore context for better outcomes in primary prevention of mental health conditions.

Closing

11.       In closing, I would like to thank our mental health partners for your staunch support in promoting overall health and well-being through a holistic approach. I hope that through this conference, we can share best practices in promoting mental health and well-being in our communities.

12.       Let me wish all of you a most fruitful and fulfilling time at this conference. Thank you very much.