WP’s Jamus Lim draws attention to importance of one’s mental health

Singapore — Opposition Member of Parliament Jamus Lim (Workers’ Party — Sengkang GRC) has posted about an online survey on mental health in Singapore, sharing about the challenges citizens may face.

The online survey was conducted by the mental health service group Lives of SG in late 2020. The survey, regarding the mental health of Singaporean residents aged nine to 56, had more than 250 responses.

The organiser of the survey, Lives of SG, is a non-profit initiative led by a team of volunteers to improve the awareness of mental health conditions and provide support to young professionals. They aim to reduce mental health stigma, increase awareness of mental health issues, increase access to critical care and tackle workplace depression.

Associate Professor Lim, who is 44, expressed concern about the results of the survey, which showed that citizens in his age group (35-44 years old) were the ones who were suffering the most.

He shared about how those in this age group face the most stress, due to needing to take care of both their elderly parents, as well as their young children. Or as he dubs it, the midlife “sandwich”. This stress was evident in the results of the survey, with the top 3 concerns of respondents being family, health and money. This was met with agreement from those in the same age group.

A/Prof Lim noted that, in the past, many would make fun of mental health by threatening to send people to the Institute of Mental Health (then known as Woodbridge) when they committed silly acts. However, as mental health increases in prominence, he shares that he is now mature, and also more aware of the seriousness of mental health. He also said that he understands the importance of receiving help when dealing with mental illnesses.

The post was met by overwhelming support from netizens, who agreed with his statement regarding the importance of mental health. Many also expressed their appreciation of his shedding light on mental health.

A/Prof Lim says that, as someone who deeply values the workings of the mind, he maintains a keen interest in mental health matters.

Denise Teh is an intern with Independent SG. /TISG