The Ecosystem of Community Mental Health in Singapore

Abstract

Community psychiatry focuses on the delivery of a coordinated programme of mental healthcare to a specified population. Mental illness is prevalent and a significant cause of morbidity in Singapore. In line with Singapore’s drive toward right siting of care, community psychiatry will play a pivotal role in providing timely access to effective and affordable mental healthcare in the community. This paper provides an overview of the community mental health ecosystem and range of services that seek to integrate mental and physical healthcare with social and community support in Singapore. We discuss systemic challenges such as financing issues and patient confidentiality in relation to the important role primary care physicians play in enhancing community mental health. Finally, we propose solutions and future directions to develop an effective and sustainable ecosystem for community mental health in Singapore.

Perceptions of community mental health services among culturally diverse adult Singaporeans with major depressive disorder: A descriptive qualitative study

“…Accordingly, Singapore has striven to enhance access to mental healthcare services by integrating early detection, prevention, and rehabilitation services into the community setting through the Community Mental Health Masterplan (CMHM) and Enhanced CMHM in 2012 and 2017, respectively (Ho, 2021; Teo et al, 2022). Of note, the community mental healthcare ecosystem in Singapore is threefold.…”

“…Secondly, the complex needs of depressed Singaporeans, such as physical comorbidity and social impairment, complicate the delivery of mental healthcare (Chong, Abdin, Nan, et al, 2012; Tan et al, 2015). Thirdly, systemic barriers such as added measures for formal referral to government‐subsidized mental healthcare specialists also impede help‐seeking (Teo et al, 2022). Such barriers to CMHSs are not exclusive to Singapore: a scoping review on community interventions for MDD globally has revealed similar challenges (Tan & Goh, 2022).…”