Charity Seminar: Understanding the Minds and Emotions of Young People

On 22 November 2019, Raffles Institution had the honor of hosting the 2019 charity seminar conducted by Brahm Centre annually. Brahm Centre is a charity launched in 2012 that aims to promote happier and healthier living through the works of science-based mental health programmes to reduce stress and enhance well-being in today’s fast paced world.

Dr. Daniel Fung – Chairman of Medical Board, IMH, May Chng – Suicide survivor, Pang Ly-Shan – Depression survivor, Adj. A/Prof Angie Chew – ST Singaporean of the Year 2019 for contributions in mental health field, and Frank Singam – Senior Counsellor shared insightful knowledge with us during the seminar. The information shared was mainly aimed at tackling anxiety and depression amongst youths and also how to prevent suicide as parents and peers.

Depression and anxiety in young people are on the rise. As parents and students, we need to know how to detect the symptoms and what interventions are available. Applying mindfulness to overcome the pains of parenting and also understanding the importance of aligning parenting strategies can help parents provide better support to their growing child. Among boys aged between 10 and 19 years old, there were 19 suicides last year – the highest since records began in 1991. Suicide rates amongst the youths of Singapore, primarily male is a concerning issue, as for every 10 suicides in 2018, seven were male.

Brahm Centre launched AssistLine to support such young people contemplating suicide and also parents who need to help their child. Since its launch on 25 August 2019, they have received almost 100 calls in 2 months. Though it is good to know that more people are coming forth to seek help, unfortunately, it also means that more people may be battling anxiety or depression, and even contemplating suicide. Hence, there is an urgent need to tackle this pressing issue as soon as we can and also help those in need as early as possible.

For assistance, one can call:

6655-0000 (during office hours)

8823-0000 (Whatsapp & after office hours)

assistme@brahmcentre.com