One in seven people in Singapore has experienced a mental disorder in their lifetime. That was one of the findings of a 2016 Singapore Mental Health Study done by Institute of Mental Health (IMH).
The study also found that the top three mental disorders in Singapore were major depressive disorder (MDD), alcohol abuse and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
Another startling finding was that more than three-quarters of the people with a mental disorder in their lifetime did not seek professional help, which is something known as “treatment gap”.
Singhealth defines depression as a feeling of sadness that lasts for weeks to months, even years, interfering with one’s daily activities. While most people can recognise signs of depression like a heavy veil of sadness and hopelessness, there are also less obvious signs like weight gain and becoming short-tempered.
Here are some signs of depression.
