WORLD MENTAL HEALTH DAY MESSAGE BY MR ONG YE KUNG, MINISTER FOR HEALTH AND COORDINATING MINISTER FOR SOCIAL POLICIES, 10 OCTOBER 2026

             Today is World Mental Health Day. It is an occasion for us to pay attention to a condition affecting many people around us, often in ways that are not immediately visible.

2.             Mental health challenges are rising around the world, especially among young people.  Hospitals and specialist clinics are seeing more patients, including many who are still in school.

3.                  Community services are also supporting more people. Youths attended to in the community more than doubled. The national mindline 1771 is attending to around 9,000 calls for help every month. These trends require strong responses from two fronts.

Strengthening Specialist Care

4.             The Institute of Mental Health (IMH) has long been the bedrock of specialist psychiatric care in Singapore. But looking ahead, IMH will need stronger support from other hospitals. Three regional hospitals – Changi General Hospital, Woodlands Hospital and Alexandra Hospital – are therefore strengthening their psychiatric capabilities, to contribute to our national capacity.

5.             We have also begun planning to redevelop and expand IMH at its present site. By 2040, we will have a bigger and more modern hospital. More importantly, we will redesignate IMH as a national specialty centre and rename it the National Centre for Mental Health Singapore in 2027. Like our other national specialty centres for cancer, heart or eye, it will lead research, coordinate psychiatric care across hospitals and build sector-wide capabilities.

6.              But beyond expanding facilities, the long-term answer to the mounting mental health challenge is prevention and early intervention.

Help Earlier, Without Fear

7.             The encouraging sign behind rising community caseloads is that more people are willing to step forward to seek help. The key barrier to overcome is stigma. For physical injuries like a broken leg, it is obvious and people would seek help readily. But when the injury is psychological, it is firstly not immediately visible, and people hesitate to seek help.

8.             It is not because they do not want to get better. Often, they are afraid. They fear being judged by family members, friends, teachers or employers. They worry that seeking mental health support will leave a permanent record that will later disadvantage them in future education opportunities, scholarship or job applications, or when buying insurance.

9.             We must reduce or remove these fears in practical ways. Seeking mental health support should not, by itself, become a mark against a person. Where disclosure is genuinely necessary, it should be limited to relevant circumstances and handled fairly. This is something various Government agencies will have to work on.

10.          Further, when someone reaches out, how the people around them respond matters a lot. Peers, supervisors, teachers, counsellors and family members must be open-minded, understanding and non-judgmental. Mental resilience is not built alone; it is strengthened by people who notice, listen and help.

Helping Young People Take the First Step

11.          For young people, there is a further issue: parental consent. The current practice is uneven across settings. Callers to national mindline 1771 can stay anonymous; community-based providers generally do not insist on parental consent before offering counselling and support. Schools are more likely to require it before formal counselling begins given its philosophy of strong partnership with families.

12.          But we should not let any across-the-board requirement for parental consent become a barrier to seeking help. Sometimes, a young person is simply not ready to speak to their parents yet. They may fear disappointing them or may not yet fully understand what they themselves are going through. Some simply need a few confidential conversations with a mental health professional before involving their families.

13.          We need a balanced approach. The right system is one that lets a young person enter through a safe door, and then involve the family appropriately as the care journey progresses. At every stage, we must act in the young person’s best interests and safeguard his or her well-being.

14.          To the youths, I say this: it is important to know that asking for help is an act of responsibility, and not a disappointment to your family. You do not need to work everything out by yourself. Start by speaking to someone you trust and are most comfortable with.

15.          To parents, and as a parent myself, I know our instinct is to want our children to tell us everything, and to solve their problems for them. As children grow, they develop their own identity, they have their own worries and ways of coping. If they need time before confiding in us, give them that time and space. When they do speak, you can’t judge too early. When it comes to mental health, patience is often the most important support we can give them.

16.          The Singapore Medical Council is revising its ethical guidelines to provide doctors with clearer guidance on parental consent, which allows clinicians to proceed with treatment provided it is in the best interests of the patient.

17.          The Ministry of Health is also developing guidelines on parental consent for various service providers. Our goal is to improve access, protect young people’s welfare and privacy, and involve parents in ways that strengthen the process of recovery. We are seeking public views in the coming weeks, and I hope to have your participation and inputs.

Conclusion

18.          Let us resolve to build a Singapore where no one should be left behind, to face life’s storms alone, and seeking help is a sign of strength. There is no health without mental health.