Mental illness and Singapore society : understanding illness narratives of Singaporean youths with mental illness

• Main Author: Chan, Jun Ren
• Other Authors: Jung Jong Hyun
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2019
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Sociology
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/76439
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Mental illness is largely stigmatised in Singapore. In recent years, rising statistics showing mental illness amongst Singaporean youths has been a concern. This paper investigates youths’ illness experience, particularly how they navigate stigma and come to make sense of their identity as an afflicted individual. Adopting the stress process framework and illness narratives as the conceptual framework, this study takes the perspectives of 10 mental health professionals who have worked with afflicted youths. The findings indicate that, as a result of socialisation experiences, youths often turn to negative coping behaviours to navigate stigma. Such coping strategies further entrench their deviantized identity and have longer-term consequences. Findings also showed that illness meanings change over time as youths constantly construct understandings from their interaction with society as an afflicted individual. This study highlights the effects of stigma on afflicted youths’ individual lives and proposes ways for policy and programme intervention.