How Are You Really?

It's well known that poor mental health is on the rise, but what is less known is why. DR SANVEEN KANG is Founder and Principal Clinical Psychologist at Psych Connect; she talks us through the factors at play and the new mental health wellness checks programme she's launched to help tackle the issue.

- GEORGINA HOCKLEY

What factors are contributing to declining mental health in Singapore?

Mental health conditions are on the rise globally and the trend in Singapore is no different. Some of the key reasons are social media and isolation. Loneliness and the sense of being disconnected from others was heightened during the pandemic and, unfortunately, has not selfresolved despite the increased social connectivity seen in today's postCOVID world. Other factors such as living with someone with a mental illness and observation of conflict and violence within the home have also played a role in the decline in mental wellbeing in recent times.

A factor that I personally have observed is the over-compensation for the loss of experiences during the pandemic. You may have heard the term "revenge travel"; I would like to coin another term: "revenge wellbeing". This is where individuals, including children, seek to compensate for lost experiences during the COVID period, attempting to achieve new accomplishments and persistent happiness (or a dopamine hit).

People also seem to believe that things have to be very bad to seek help. If they appear to be leading seemingly normal lives, not disrupted by extremities, they assume that they should be fine and should not be feeling down. This belief robs them of the opportunity to get help and invalidates their emotional experience.

What defines mental wellness?