When The Kids Are Not Ok

Why the children of today are struggling with mental health issues, and what we can do to lend them a helping hand.

- Adora Wong

In July this year, a 16-year-old student at River Valley High School was charged with the murder of a fellow 13-year-old schoolmate on campus. The mental health of adolescents here quickly became a focus of public interest. But look a little deeper and you’ll see that it has been a matter of growing concern in recent times: According to Samaritans of Singapore, suicide was the leading cause of death for those aged 10 to 29 in 2019, the highest number in that year compared to those in other age groups.

When considering those statistics and the recent shocking incident, the condition of adolescents is of particular concern. What can we as a society do to make things better?

THE ROOT CAUSE

While there are many factors that contribute to the mental health of a young person, experts generally agree that those with traumatic childhood experiences are more prone to developing mental health issues.

“These events include physical, emotional and sexual abuse, neglect, parental divorce, the death or abandonment of a parent, or bullying in school or at home. They send damaging messages to a young person’s fragile sense of self, and make them vulnerable to feeling like they are helpless, hopeless, useless or insignificant,” says Dr Mark Toh, a clinical psychologist at Promises Healthcare who has extensive experience in working with children and adolescents.