Mental Health: Prioritising children and adolescents

Policymakers can play a proactive role with all stakeholders to expand mental health infrastructure for all children, particularly B40 and rural communities, building on the bipartisan consensus on this issue.

WORLD Mental Health Day comes at a time of unprecedented crisis and stressors brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic this year. The virus has not only transformed how we function in society, but also impacted on our individual and collective psychological well-being. In fact, the emotional impacts of the virus have raised concerns that the next pandemic is mental health challenges.

Though the virus itself poses greater health risks for older populations, emotional ramifications may stand to affect younger people more. This is because dependent children and adolescents are often confronting their own emotional stressors alongside that of their parents in this pandemic. The adverse consequences are worse as their traditional school support system has been severely disrupted due to lockdown restrictions.