Over 98,000 young people, parents engaged on mental health

Community health services promoting early identification of issues and providing support

- Syarafana Shafeeq

Nineteen-year-old Navitha Rajendaran used to grapple with frequent mood swings, anxiety and poor concentration in school.

A friend who noticed her struggling referred her to a social service organisation for counselling services.

The sessions helped her learn better ways to manage stressful situations and her mood swings.

Ms Navitha is one of many young people and parents who have been supported by two community mental health services as at March 2024.

Eight Youth Community Outreach Teams, which run outreach activities to raise awareness of mental health issues and promote early identification, have engaged more than 98,000 young people and parents, while four Youth Integrated Teams, which provide mental health assessments and psychosocial interventions, have supported more than 4,500 of them.

These teams help young people aged 12 to 25 years old, and are fully funded by the Government without any out-of-pocket cost. Their activities are run by social service agencies such as Limitless, Care Corner Singapore and Touch Community Services.