Robust systems in place to help servicemen with mental-health issues: SAF and Home Team

We refer to Mr Chen Jiaxi’s letter on the management of servicemen with mental-health conditions in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) and Home Team (“Enhance suicide preventive measures in the SAF and Home Team”; Oct 15).

The Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) recognise the importance of careful and comprehensive management of servicemen with mental-health conditions, and have put in place robust mental-health support systems, supported by psychiatrists, psychologists, counsellors and para-counsellors, to detect and support servicemen with such conditions.

Medical officers assess all pre-enlistees for psychiatric and behavioural concerns. The assessment guidelines are regularly reviewed in consultation with the SAF Psychiatry Specialist Advisory Board, a panel comprising senior psychiatrists from the public and private sectors. Only those who are assessed to be able to perform their duties and unlikely to pose risks to themselves or others are enlisted.

During their period of service, all servicemen are monitored for their psychological well-being. In basic training, orientation officers are available to help recruits overcome adjustment problems. At the units, commanders — all of whom are trained to understand mental-health conditions better — are required to interview servicemen regularly.

If the need arises, servicemen are provided with counselling and medical treatment. Trained para-counsellors are present in all units to provide frontline counselling to distressed servicemen. Psychologists also work closely with the servicemen’s doctors, counsellors, para-counsellors and commanders to ensure that holistic care is given to those with mental-health conditions. Servicemen also have access to an anonymous 24-hour counselling hotline.

The SAF, Singapore Police Force and Singapore Civil Defence Force have different operating environments that require their own support systems. Best practices are shared across the uniformed services, and Mindef and MHA work closely with relevant government agencies to address mental-health issues in Singapore.

Mindef and MHA will continue to review and strengthen the mental-health system to ensure that all servicemen with mental-health conditions receive good and responsive care.

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