Social acceptance, help also key to mental health

I refer to the letter “Mental health recovery is possible with treatment” (Aug 15).

I think it is simplistic to approach mental health from only a treatment point of view because, unlike physical health, mental health issues are harder to detect and carry a stigma. It takes willpower for someone to find out more, admit that he has a mental health issue and then proceed to seek help. Many times, the problem is attributed to stress, personality or even the religious explanation, “going through dark times”.

Do we see people simply being recommended for treatment by family or friends? People prefer to avoid such an issue or pretend it is not there.

There has indeed been a steady rise in mental health issues worldwide. However, the expenditure, funding and assistance for these issues have hardly increased by much. Psychology and psychiatry are still on the sidelines as fields of study.

In Singapore, there is a constant focus on the economy. How do we grow the economy, though, if more people are not psychologically sound to work? Productivity drops, tensions rise and relationships break down eventually.

It is still a common misconception that mental health is a personal issue, when it can damage families, social circles and society in general.

Mental health is treatable, but the issue here is stigmatisation if family or friends learn that someone is going for treatment or psychological help. They would come up with wrong connotations, assumptions and fears. They would gossip, question or distance themselves from the person, continuing a vicious circle and even exacerbating his or her situation. It is a sad state of affairs, particularly among Asians.

The key to mental health is not only treatment, but social assistance and acceptance.