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WE CARE Community Services : Alcohol Addiction

Do you continue to drink when it causes you problems? What you should be aware of when you drink Alcohol is often used as a social lubricant in social settings. Drinking is legal in Singapore if you are 18 and above. Even though alcohol is legal and socially accepted, there are risks and problems associated with persistent drinking. Risky Drinking When you are intoxicated, you put yourself and others at some risk. Moreover, the ability to manage your emotions and behaviour is compromised. Binge Drinking Binge drinking is defined as 4 or more standard alcoholic drinks* on one occasion for women, and 5 or more for men. When you do not need to drink every day, you may think you do not have a drinking problem. *A standard alcoholic drink contains 10 gm of alcohol. a 330 ml can of regular beer (5% alcohol content)a 175 ml of wine (15% alcohol content)a shot (35 ml) of spirits with 40% alcohol content Alcohol Dependence Drinking helps you to relieve the unwanted feelings of withdrawal.

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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Obsessions are defined as recurrent, persistent ideas, images or impulses. Compulsions are an attempt to reduce the anxiety caused by the obsession. Compulsive behaviour may be physical or mental acts that are repetitive and purposeful, and performed in response to an obsession. Individuals with OCD may have co-morbid depression. To watch videos on other common conditions, click here. Signs and Symptoms Stigma and discrimination People with mental health problems say that the social stigma attached to mental ill health and the discrimination they experience can make their difficulties worse and make it harder to recover. Mental illness is common. It affects thousands of people in the UK, and their friends, families, work colleagues and society in general. One in four people will experience a mental health problem at some point in their lives.Around one in ten children experience mental health problems.

People with OCD face their worst fears to get better SINGAPORE — The first time Ms Chua was asked to touch a doorknob with her bare hands, without using tissue paper, she cried. The sales promoter, who requested that her full name not be published for privacy reasons, was diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in 2003 when she sought medical treatment for depression. Last year, as part of what seemed like an unusual treatment approach, she was asked to confront some of her worst fears. “That day, I went home and cried. I told my case manager I did not want to continue with the treatment. “To you, (opening a door with your bare hands) might sound like a simple thing to do but to me, it was so difficult and scary,” she said.

How to tell if someone has depression SINGAPORE: The suicide death of SHINee lead singer Kim Jonghyun on Monday (Dec 18) has cast the spotlight on the pressure K-pop artistes face. But it has also brought depression, clinically known as major depressive disorder, to the fore. In Singapore, depression is one of the top three mental health disorders, indicated the Singapore Mental Health Study conducted in 2010 by the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). The findings from the next survey, which started in 2015, are likely to be released in August 2018, according to IMH. The 2010 survey showed that depression affected over 57,000 adult men and about 102,000 adult women during their lifetime.

National Healthcare Group Polyclinics A clinical psychologist works closely with doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals to enable patients to manage and improve their mental and physical health. A clinical psychologist is qualified to provide assessment, counselling and psychotherapy for patients with stress-related problems, common mental health problems, with or without physical health conditions. A clinical psychologist also helps patients with an understanding of the factors that contribute to their problems and that maintain them. Through working collaboratively with other healthcare professionals, a clinical psychologist also helps patients manage unhelpful thoughts, emotions and behaviours. This aims to improve patients' mental well-being and increase readiness to take steps to change thoughts, emotions and behaviours to reduce symptoms and increase healthy lifestyle habits. (i) stress in your personal, work or social life

Support for Individuals and Caregivers Support for Individuals and Caregivers As an individual living with a mental illness, social inclusion plays a central role in recovery. However, the lack of understanding about mental illness, compounded by the negative portrayals of the mentally ill in the media, often adds to the marginalisation of this misunderstood group. Without acceptance from the community, people with mental illness often face discrimination, lack social support, and find themselves isolated. It is therefore important to build the emotional resilience and find pillars of support at home, at work and in the community.

Managing Mental Illness ​Many people with mental illness often suffer in silence. They keep their condition to themselves until it is too late. Yet, studies have shown that early treatment can improve the progress of recovery for these people. However, late detection or delaying treatment can cause the condition to worsen. So, why do these people suffering from mental illness delay seeking treatment? Often, it is due to the fear of rejection and ridicule by society.

Cycling champion Catlin battling depression before suicide: Family LOS ANGELES: The family of American cyclist Kelly Catlin said on Monday (Mar 11) the three-time world champion had been suffering from depression in the months leading up to her death last week. Catlin, who took her own life last Thursday, had struggled with depression in the wake of two crashes last year and had also attempted suicide in January. The 23-year-old had been part of the US team pursuit squads that captured world titles in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and also won a silver medal at the 2016 Rio Olympics. However her father told the Washington Post on Monday she had struggled to recover after an accident last October which left her with a broken arm which was followed by a crash in December in which she sustained a concussion. "She was not the Kelly that we knew," her father Mark Catlin told the Post. "She spoke like a robot.

More people seeking help for mental health conditions, community group says, Singapore News SINGAPORE - More people have been stepping forward to seek help in handling mental health conditions. According to Dr Vincent Ng, chief executive officer of AMKFSC Community Services, there has been a 42 per cent increase in people seeking help from its mental health service MindCare over the past two years, either for themselves or their loved ones. He was speaking at the MindStories exhibition at Ang Mo Kio Central Stage on Sunday (Oct 14), the first event in this year's Mental Health Awareness Singapore Learning Series initiative. Organised by AMKFSC, it features the personal experiences and anecdotes of 18 people in the fight against mental health conditions, such as people in recovery, caregivers and advocates. Guest of honour Koh Poh Koon, an MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC and Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry, said that from 2016 to June this year, AMKFSC Community Services provided intervention to almost 400 people with mental health conditions in Ang Mo Kio GRC.

Duke-NUS students seek to remove stigma of mental illness, Latest Singapore News He was having a cup of coffee with a secondary school friend last year when the friend told him he had been suffering from depression. Mr Clement Sim was surprised that his friend had had depression for about a decade and he never suspected anything. Mr Sim, 29, now in his third year studying medicine at the Duke-NUS Medical School, said: "He was always cheerful and bubbly, and it really pained me to know that he was suffering in silence for the past 10 years." Upon learning he was studying psychiatry, two more of Mr Sim's friends came forward to tell him that they were suffering from depression. This prompted Mr Sim to start I'm Steady Lah, a student-organised community service project that aims to remove the stigma associated with mental health disorders.

6 common mental disorders affecting Singaporeans today and where you can go to get help, Business Insider - Business Insider Singapore Pexels There’s been an increase in the number of Singapore adults who have suffered from a mental disorder in their lifetimes, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) said recently. According to a 2016 study, one in seven people in Singapore have experienced specific mood, anxiety, or alcohol use disorders in their lifetime, up from roughly one in eight six years prior. Read also: 1 in 7 people in Singapore have experienced a mental disorder – and some millennials are more susceptible to mood and alcohol-related ones

Fast Facts on Mental Health in Singapore 51% of mental illness patients suffer from a chronic physical illness, because there is a link between the twoDepression, alcohol abuse and obsessive compulsive disorder are the top 3 most common disorders in Singapore29 The age at which the majority of mental illnesses occur5.8% of the adult population in Singapore has suffered from depression at some point in their lives Symptoms of top 3 disorders Depression: loses interest in daily life, has feelings of hopelessness and thoughts of suicide Alcohol Abuse: has to drink more and more alcohol to feel its effects as tolerance for the substance increases, experiences sweating and other withdrawal symptoms when not drinking Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Obsessive: has persistent and irrational thoughts, impulses or images that cause anxiety or distress like an overwhelming fear of germs and dirt Compulsive: repeats actions like checking and rechecking locks several times over

More people in Singapore struggling with alcohol abuse, but seeking help earlier: Study, Health News SINGAPORE - A mental health study has shown that while alcohol abuse is a growing problem here, sufferers have been seeking help earlier. The second Singapore Mental Health Study, conducted in 2016, found that one in 24 people struggled with the problem in their lifetime, or 4.1 per cent of the population. This is up from one in 32 people in the landmark study done in 2010. Symptoms include recurrent alcohol use that affects obligations at work, school, or home. But sufferers also sought treatment earlier – the median number of years they delayed treatment in 2016 was four years, down from 13 years in 2010.

Self-imposed stigma compounds struggles of individuals with mental illness SINGAPORE: Individuals with mental illness often grapple with stigma or negative public perceptions about their conditions and their struggle can be compounded further through self-imposed stigma. “Self-imposed stigma is the process by which persons with mental illness accept the negative attitudes of others towards them, then internalise and apply these beliefs to themselves,” said Associate Professor Mythily Subramaniam, director of the Department of Research at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). “Examples of self-imposed stigma include endorsement of negative stereotypes held by the public such as ‘I am dangerous’, ‘I am weak’, or ‘I am ashamed that I have a mental illness’,” she said. Based on an 18-month study on 280 outpatients from IMH suffering from depression, schizophrenia, anxiety or obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), researchers have found that self-imposed stigma may influence the impact of perceived stigma, quality of life, self-esteem and function.

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