Mental illness, also called mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions — disorders that affect your mood, thinking and behavior. Examples of mental illness include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders and addictive behaviors.
In this article, Wellnex discloses some statistics of Mental Illness visible in Singapore following Covid 19. While Mental health has declined since the Covid-19 pandemic began, there is an increase of people feeling sad, depressed, or lonely.
Impact of Covid 19 on Mental illness:
A study made in Singapore in Q1 2021by the Institute of Mental Health disclosed that about 13 per cent of over 1,000 participants reported symptoms of anxiety or depression during the Covid-19 pandemic,
8.7 per cent of respondents met the criteria for clinical depression, while 9.4 per cent met the criteria for clinical anxiety. Out of all respondents, 4.8 per cent had both anxiety and depression,
In addition, 9.3 per cent met the criteria for mild to severe stress, while 7.6 per cent met the criteria for clinical insomnia.
4.9 per cent of respondents said they had experienced suicidal thoughts in the two weeks before they were interviewed.
Source of stress:
The top three sources of stress were the risk of family members or friends getting infected by Covid-19, financial loss, such as losing work opportunities or having to take unpaid leave, and unemployment.
Some also mentioned the lack of perspective, being bored, dont know what to do
How do they cope with mental problems:
81.8 per cent of respondents said they would seek professional help if they were to develop any emotional or psychological problems related to Covid-19.
80.9 per cent who said they would not seek professional help, said they could cope by themselves, 50 per cent said they would seek help from friends and family first
22 per cent said it was too costly, while 21.3 per cent said they were too busy.
The study shows that certain factors such as social support were associated with higher resilience and lower likelihood of stress and depression in respondents.
Dr Mythily, assistant chairman of IMH's Medical Board, said: "Covid-19 has had a significant impact on the mental health of Singaporeans. We have a resilient population, but we have to realise resilience is not an individual responsibility."
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