It is extremely troubling that a recent study, conducted by Duke-NUS Medical School and the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), has suggested that anxiety and depression symptoms among people here could be costing Singapore nearly $16 billion a year, or about 2.9 per cent of the nation’s gross domestic product. This is so as a result of absenteeism, reduced productivity, and the use of healthcare resources. According to the researchers, this is the first study after the coronavirus pandemic that estimates the prevalence of, and quantifies the financial cost of, depression and anxiety symptoms among Singaporean adults. While the economic and social dislocation produced by Covid-19 expectedly produced a decline in mental health, what is worrying is that even the national recovery from that period of stress did not produce better results in the survey, which covered 5,725 Singaporeans above 21 years old between April and June 2022. Clearly, mental health is an issue that Singapore must grapple with urgently.

The lesson to be drawn from the survey is the need to treat mental health on a par with physical health. Singapore possesses admirable assets by way of its hospitals, both public and private, its step-down care facilities, its polyclinics, its general practitioners, and its specialists. They cater to the physical well-being of residents in a way that justifies Singapore’s reputation for First World healthcare. Mental health, too, is addressed by the IMH, private institutions and civil society organisations. However, the stigma attached traditionally to mental problems – in a way that does not affect those seeking medical care for physical ailments – deters many sufferers from seeking early and preventive care. As a result, they suffer in silence when there are avenues open for their treatment and rehabilitation. Some prefer to go into denial mode. Such attitudes should not exist in a mature society. People must understand that it is not morally reprehensible to be mentally unwell, any more than it is to be physically sick.

It is reassuring that companies are stepping up efforts to help staff with mental health issues. Stress and burnout, to say nothing about anxiety and depression, are workplace ills that erode the human talent on which corporate success is based ultimately. Companies which treat staff under mental pressure with understanding and empathy are likely to have employees who are motivated because they feel valued. Sufferers, too, would come forward for help early because they would not fear being stigmatised by colleagues. More companies here are including mental wellness benefits in their corporate insurance coverage in a healthy sign of the times.

Anxiety and depression are global problems that are taking a heavy toll on productivity. It is imperative in Singapore that family members, community organisations, care services and companies work together more closely to have a helping hand ready always for sufferers.