IMH launches nationwide study to get clearer picture of youth mental health

The National Youth Mental Health Study will establish the prevalence of key mental health conditions among youth in Singapore. PHOTO: ST FILE

SINGAPORE - The mental well-being of young people here will be the subject of a nationwide study that aims to gauge the burden of mental health issues among them.

The National Youth Mental Health Study will establish the prevalence of key mental health conditions among young people here, such as depression, anxiety, insomnia, smoking addiction, eating disorders and body image issues.

Dr Swapna Verma, chairman of the medical board at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and the co-principal investigator of the study, said it will identify the personal and social factors associated with these conditions, including how well the young are coping and the strength of their social support system.

"We are not specifically zooming in on disorders but psychological distress, poor functioning (among others). Many of these conditions may be evolving.

"We are watching out for emerging signs and symptoms of mental health issues," she said, adding that previous editions of the Singapore Mental Health Study showed that more young people are being diagnosed with mental health issues.

The team of researchers started preparing for the study in April last year.

It is the first to comprehensively identify the specific issues, challenges and common psychological problems that affect the mental health of young people between the ages of 15 and 35 in Singapore.

The study will explore a wide range of aspects or behaviours linked to mental health and well-being of young people, including bullying, self-harm, alcohol use, social media use, smartphone addiction, burnout, resilience and self-esteem.

IMH researchers will also examine how young people in the age group experience major transitions in life.

About 2,600 young people will be interviewed from October 2022 to June 2023. They will be picked randomly and approached in public places or at their homes.

Dr Swapna said young people may be succumbing to more stress than older people, noting that they have to go through several major life changes in a relatively short period of time.

For example, they may go from being a student in secondary school to tertiary education or national service, and for some, their first job, in a few short years.

"These changes are also now taking place against a more challenging backdrop of global upheavals like the Covid-19 pandemic, wars and climate change," said Dr Swapna.

The results, which are expected to be ready by end-2024, will give IMH a clearer picture of when to intervene early to support the young, as well as to design appropriate mental health promotion measures, said Dr Mythily Subramaniam, assistant chairman of the medical board (research) at IMH.

The impetus to take an in-depth look at youth mental health also came from IMH's free, confidential mental wellness service - the Community Health Assessment Team (Chat) - which has seen increasing referrals in recent years, said Dr Swapna.

"Chat gives us a clue. More and more young people are coming out and seeking help.

"It could because there's more awareness or they are experiencing more distress, but Chat is a skewed sample, as these are the help-seeking people," said Dr Swapna, who is also the programme director for Chat.

"If you do a study in the broader community, it can give us more information... because there could be non-help-seeking people who are equally distressed."

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