It is common to see Singaporeans making jokes online about the Institute of Mental Health, or IMH, when targeting someone appearing out of sorts in a viral video or photo.
Rachel Pang draws comic strips in which she is the starring character. But the monsters she fights are inside her head, and the storylines address her struggles as a sexual assault survivor.
That unease extends into the digital realm, where it is common to see Singaporeans making jokes about the Institute of Mental Health, or IMH, when targeting someone appearing out of sorts in a viral video or photo. Turning to the media for information doesn’t help much. Though coverage of mental health in Singapore has increased in recent years, most stories are told through an impersonal lens of survey findings and government initiatives. Very few wade into the actual problems suffered by people, including those who belong to marginalized communities.
Working outside the systemA group of volunteers who call themselves Penawar have been providing support for the past year to young women seeking mental health issues related to being raised Muslim and Malay. “Instagram is very visual and very immediate. It captures your attention. We use Facebook too but because that operated as a closed group we didn’t get many people joining … It also makes sense to use Instagram for the target audience we’re reaching out to, which is mainly comprised of young people,” she wrote.Keeping it realThen there’s Aaroson Koh and Tay Chun Hsien, who feel more can be done to create awareness or be more approachable to youth.
“We are both in the age whereby we are learning a lot about ourselves and the world around us, to learn about everything from simple things like how to get bigger muscles, how to eat healthier, how to communicate with others effectively, how to manage stress and lots of other problems, all sizes,” he said. “Basically every step we have taken towards learning to be a ‘full-grown adult.’”
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