NUS students launched a book of stories to bring awareness and encourage conversations on mental health.

Despite increased prevalence of mental health issues, stigma remains a huge barrier towards help-seeking, recovery and inclusion. To raise awareness and encourage conversations on mental health on a national level, “Speaking Your Mind” – a first-of-its-kind NUS student-led mental health initiative – put together a total of 17 stories from individuals, caregivers, advocates and professionals who work closely in the field of mental health.

These stories shed light on the problems which individuals with mental health conditions face in the areas of stigmatisation, workplace or school support, and laws and insurance policies. They also highlight the rewards and challenges of working with individuals with mental health conditions and how we as a society can improve healthcare services for all.

Melvin Yong, Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar GRC, graced the recent launch of the book and shared: “As a society, it is important that we raise awareness and socialise mental health issues among the general public. Only by doing so, can we then destigmatise the topic and build an ecosystem of support to help with the detection and early prevention of mental health issues.” He added that several of the stories in the book show the resilience of those who struggle with mental health issues and this highlights the importance of the support network around us.

The launch also featured a panel discussion which comprised of several presenters and speakers well-known in the field of mental health, namely Voon Yen Sing, assistant director of Clinical Services at the Singapore Association for Mental Health; Jenny Teo, co-founder of the PleaseStay. Movement; Nawira Baig, peer support specialist at the Institute of Mental Health; and Porsche Poh, executive director of the Silver Ribbon, Singapore. The panellists discussed about the issues covered in the book and engaged the audience in exchanges and reflections on what can be done to improve things in the mental health sector.

To download a free copy of the e-book, go to: bit.ly/SpeakingYourMindProject.

 

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