Health Check Podcast: Understanding mental health stigma

Find out more about mental health stigma as ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo (left) speaks to the executive director of Silver Ribbon (Singapore), Porsche Poh in this episode. ST PHOTO: HADYU RAHIM

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you.

Mental health stigma is what happens when a person with a mental illness is seen in a negative light. It can lead to discrimination, as a person may be treated differently because of his or her mental illness. This stigma often stems from a lack of understanding of mental illness. 

In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo speaks to Ms Porsche Poh, the executive director of Silver Ribbon (Singapore), about her work in combating mental health stigma. Silver Ribbon is a non-profit organisation that aims to combat mental health stigma through improving mental health literacy. She co-founded Silver Ribbon in 2006 with Helen Lee and Sally Choo, who were then her colleagues at the Institute of Mental Health.

Highlights (click/tap above):

4:03 Effects of mental health stigma

7:29 Work-life mental health: What can companies do to improve employee’s mental health

10:47 What can be done to reduce mental health stigma in Singapore

12:02 Adversities Silver Ribbon faced

In the podcast, Porsche mentioned that there’s a Beyond The Label media guide for journalists reporting on mental health issues. This guide was launched in 2021 by Singapore’s National Council of Social Service under its Beyond The Label campaign that seeks to address the stigmas faced by persons with mental health conditions.

Produced by: Joyce Teo (joyceteo@sph.com.sg), Ernest Luis, Hadyu Rahim, Teo Tong Kai and Eden Soh

Edited by: Eden Soh

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