Article 3: A short footnote on less common mental illnesses

Reflection by Eila Trenel

Thanks to the increasing campaigns around mental health awareness, many people are now aware of the true nature of illnesses such as major depressive disorder and generalized anxiety disorder, as well as how to deal with them. Yet, there are more mental illnesses than just these. For example, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th version, lists around 157 distinct disorders.

Now, I’m not saying awareness must be raised for each and every one of the 157 disorders. However I’d like to bring the reader’s attention to the following; did you know that in Singapore:

• 1 in 28 people have Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• 1 in 32 people have Bipolar Spectrum Disorder

• 1 in 43 people have Schizophrenia and other Psychosis-related disorders

Mental health campaigns don’t usually pay much attention to these “less palatable” disorders, but shouldn’t individuals diagnosed with such disorders be given the same amount of respect and understanding as those with more common diagnoses?

Just as how we would respect a person with depression struggling with participating in high-energy social situations, we should also respect a person’s struggle with, for example, OCD. Respect, in this case, means understanding: someone with organizational OCD isn’t a weirdly nit-picky ‘perfectionist’, they’re dealing with intense intrusive thoughts that can only be soothed by performing certain rituals. Similarly, someone with psychosis isn’t a ‘crazy’ individual who hallucinates and lashes out violently: they are simply another human being facing their own challenges. For those in situations such as these, the advice of ‘make time for relaxation!’ and ‘don’t be too hard on yourself!’ (which are the main focus of mental health awareness campaigns) usually isn’t sufficient: professional treatment is necessary, and NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED ABOUT. It is those who are struggling with these issues who are the worst off from the relatively less awareness about professional mental health help.

So, what’s the point of bringing all of these up? I want to highlight the importance of recognising the wide range of mental disorders, their impacts, and the types of solutions for them. Additionally, I hope to bring attention to the gaps in current mental health campaigns in an attempt to help improve future efforts. It’s incredibly important to acknowledge, when approaching the topic of mental health issues, that each individual will respond to different types of support and treatment differently. This depends on not only the person, but the type and intensity of their mental struggles. As such, I strongly believe that mental health movements should shine equal light on both conventional advice and medical interventions. Mental health is a complicated issue, and I hope that reading this mini-article helps spread a little more awareness that could potentially improve the lives of those struggling.