Even in the best of times, more than 10% of the world’s population suffers from anxiety and depression. More and more young people are seeking help for mental health issues; according to Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH), those aged between 19 and 35 make up about 45% of new patients diagnosed with a mental illness every year. The pandemic has only raised stress levels manifold.
SINGAPORE (July 20): Globally, the extraordinary measures taken to contain the COVID-19 pandemic have been affecting people not just physically, but mentally as well. Millions worry about economic and job insecurity. Retired people are watching a lifetime of savings disappear. While the physical restrictions on travel, movement and social gatherings are visible and measurable, the mental toll is hidden and insidious.
During the first few weeks of the Circuit Breaker, 25% of Singaporeans said they were not in good mental health, according to an online survey of 1,000 people by market research firm Ipsos. Another online poll by mental health charity Silver Ribbon, found that 25% of the 577 participants had experienced “more than usual” anxiety and feelings of low moods. People who are now working from home have to balance the pressures of keeping their families healthy and their work lives productive.
