There was an article in the science section of the Straits Times (Saturday, September 20 2008, Page D13) titled “Rethinking mental health care in S’pore”. The author used logos, pathos, and ethos throughout the article and was successful in creating awareness and attention.
The article has 2 main purposes, one: to ask that Singaporeans change their attitudes about the mentally ill, and two: to announce that there is a need for increase in mental health professionals.
How many of you will think of a person in a straight jacket in an enclosed room with padded walls when u hear the words “mentally retarded” or “mental condition”?
The author stated “Throughout history, a stigma has clung tenaciously to mental illness. It prevents patients from studying, working, and socializing in their community.” Sadly, many employers of these people are biased against them or ostracize them, giving them a harder time then they already are in. Furthermore, “The stigma makes the public less willing to pay for mental health care. Many people believe that all who have mental illnesses are dangerous and should be locked away.”
Even though the government has started to take steps to improve the mental health care in Singapore, its citizens (us) need to change our perceptions about these people. However, I don’t think this change will come easy. Deep set perceptions like personal constructs or prototypes about certain kinds of people (the mentally ill in this case) would most probably be hard to change unless they come to encounter someone (who has a mental illness) who does not fall into stereotypes and change that perception.
Given that “up to seven in 10 victims (of suicides) were affected by some form of mental illness”, and “conditions like schizophrenia, major depression and alcohol abuse significantly increase the risk of early death”, what do you think causes these mental illnesses? Is it stress (be it work or school)? Or a traumatic event affected him/her so drastically? Or could it be hereditary?
In addition, what other ways do you think can help Singaporeans change their perception of the mentally ill in Singapore?
The author, Chong Siow Ann, is the vice-chairman, Medical Board (Research), at the Institute of Mental health and a member of Singapore’s National Mental Health Blueprint Taskforce.
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I can honestly say that when someone says mentally ill, I think of a regular person afflicted with a disease. Except, instead of a physical disease like cancer, it's mental and something that is harboring inside their brain. It doesn't make me think any less of them. Most mental diseases are regulatable with drugs now too, so really, what is the difference between the 2 types of illnesses? It should not be a cause for stigma.
Most successful people or genuises are mentally ill to a certain degree. Leonardo di Caprio is compulsive obsessive. John Forbes Nash was schizophrenic. And yet they were brilliant at their jobs. It's possible to lead functional lives with a predisposed mental illness. They just have to get it under control.
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