SINGAPORE — When then 19-year-old Ashley Poo told friends that she was diagnosed with clinical depression and anxiety, the young woman who had always come across as confident and assured was greeted with a mixture of shock and confusion.
Greater awareness of mental health among youths and accessibility of information online has led to a trend known as “therapy speak” where youths use language and terms related to mental health in everyday conversations.
Remarks like “why are you depressed”, “your issues are not that severe”, and “how can you be struggling when you have such a good family?” were thrown at her. From TODAY’s recent interviews with Ms Poo, Ms Tan and five other youths who had struggled with their mental health, one common thread that emerged with regard to how loved ones responded to their battle against mental illness was how extreme those reactions could be — from denial and dismissive to showing care and concern.
Mental health professionals and advocates told TODAY that since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, during Panel discussions and seminars focusing on youth mental health also dominated the two-day Singapore Mental Health Conference held at the Singapore Expo earlier this week. Mental health advocates and young interviewees diagnosed with mental health conditions, whom TODAY spoke to, agreed that the rise in mental health awareness had led to terms associated with therapy-speak such as “triggered”, “boundaries” and “gaslighting” becoming increasingly common within the social lexicon.
There is also the concern that youths might be too quick to diagnose themselves with mental illnesses based on symptoms found online, even though these may not be accurate. A misdiagnosis or over-diagnosis of mental health conditions can also potentially lead to a “diversion of already-scarce mental health resources away from those who need them”, said Dr Adrian Loh, a senior consultant psychiatrist at Promises Healthcare, a psychiatry and psychology clinic.
However, despite these potential pitfalls of the increased prevalence of therapy-speak, all the experts interviewed emphasised that on balance, this trend is a step in the right direction for society. For Mr Justin Loo, head of programmes at mental health charity Resilience Collective, he regards such therapy-speak as “inevitable" as society undergoes the process of normalising conversations about mental health.
“The World Health Organization's definition of mental health is not merely the absence of mental disorders, it also refers to well-being,” she said. While emotional literacy refers to the ability to recognise, understand, express, and manage one's own emotions as well as those of others, mental health literacy is possessing accurate information, beliefs, and attitudes about mental health conditions.
Robin told TODAY that she and others like her often struggle to come to terms with the fact that their friends and loved ones do not understand why they feel the way they do — especially if they come from what is perceived as a “privileged” background. Under Singapore’s new National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, a “toolbox” is being developed to help parents build stronger relationships with their children.
She cited the example of how, in her search for companies who were accepting of employees with mental illnesses, firms tended to trot out mental health benefits that were largely inadequate, like “one wellness off-day”, or a minimal amount of reimbursement for a single therapy session. According to Dr Loh of Promises Healthcare, the symptoms of many mental disorders are often a common feature of a person's life experience, and knowing when to seek professional help is important.
This includes dedicating time for self-care activities or hobbies that one enjoys, attempting guided, mindfulness meditation via apps or videos to help reduce one’s anxiety, and making an effort to connect with friends who can provide the person with emotional support. While she still struggles with her mental health from time to time, Ms Poo believes that she has a clearer awareness of her condition today and has made it her mission to spread better mental health awareness, not wanting “the next generation to experience what I went through”.
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