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.
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Denne historien er fra November 2021-utgaven av Her World Singapore.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
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Nothing makes Karen Tan, co-founder of The Projector, more happy and fulfilled than making a difference to a film-goer's experience. For her, that spells \"f-u-n\" and brings people together. In the third instalment of the \"HER WORLD, HER SPARK\" series, presented in partnership with DBS, we speak to Karen about her journey.
WILLA BELLE
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Back For Good
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Beyond The 9-To-6
According to Her World's annual What Women Want survey, a staggering seven in 10 women in Singapore are willing to take a pay cut for a job that offers better perks and benefits, with a flexible work schedule being a top priority. Are employers here ready to accept flexible arrangements as part of our lexicon?
Leading Singapore's Sustainable Innovations
In this second instalment of the "HER WORLD, HER SPARK" series, presented in partnership with DBS, we speak to Oh Chu Xian, founder of deep tech start-up Magorium. Determined to make the construction sector a more sustainable one, she's revolutionising it with a new technology that turns plastic waste into sustainable building materials.