Among the key findings is the tendency for respondents to encourage friends and family to seek professional help for mental struggles, but they were less likely to do so for themselves.<\/p>\n
According to the survey, 60 per cent of respondents said they would encourage a close friend or relative to seek help if they observed the person had\u00a0suicidal tendencies.<\/p>\n
This number dropped\u00a0to 42 per cent should the suicidal tendencies be observed in themselves.<\/p>\n
This gap raises an important question: Why are we more likely to ask others to seek help when mental health symptoms are observed but hesitate when it comes to our own?<\/p>\n
Why the gap?
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What adds a sense of urgency to this\u00a0is that it is not an isolated trend. It consistently appears across multiple data points of our study.<\/p>\n
For example, 55 per cent of respondents said they would encourage someone else to seek help for self-harm, but only 35 per cent would do the same for themselves.<\/p>\n
The gap persists with addiction where\u00a035 per cent of respondents would urge others to seek support, yet only 18 per cent would do the same should the struggle with\u00a0addiction be their own.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Dr Jacqueline Lee Tilley, assistant professor\u00a0at the National Institute of Education,\u00a0noted <\/strong>to <\/strong>AsiaOne that individuals may perceive the time, effort\u00a0and money spent on mental health as “worthwhile” only when it is through the prism of a third-person.<\/p>\n But when it comes to their own, they often struggle to see the value in prioritising it.<\/p>\n Jacqueline listed stigma and negative stereotypes related to mental health as potential reasons for this discrepancy.<\/p>\n The combination of self-stigma and societal perception on an individual\u00a0can be quite a deterrent.<\/p>\n “If someone thinks that having mental health problems speaks to their competence then they may be less willing to seek professional help,” Jacqueline said.<\/p>\n Taking that step might feel like proving one’s own inadequacy. So why would they take said step?<\/p>\n After all, most people rationally would not want to be negatively evaluated, Jacqueline added.<\/p>\n These sentiments were echoed by Melissa Yoong, a 35-year-old psychotherapist based in Singapore.<\/p>\n She noted that people tend to have an easier time “feeling compassion for another person’s suffering” compared to their own.<\/p>\n Melissa also highlighted that those who struggle with a sense of perfectionism can have issues with reaching out for help.<\/p>\n The struggle to “admit a need” is an obstacle in itself but there is also the barrier of taking the agency to seek\u00a0help.<\/p>\n “You’re actually being vulnerable and there is always that uncertainty as to how it is going to be received and sometimes that fear holds someone back,” she explained.<\/p>\n Reframing mental health struggles How then can someone be more proactive in their own mental health battles?<\/p>\n A\u00a0tip from Melissa is to introduce the habit of checking in with yourself.<\/p>\n Take the time to look inward, she suggested, offering journaling as a potential outlet for one to\u00a0help understand how they are feeling in the present.<\/p>\n Jacqueline concurs with this, mentioning that a mindset shift might be useful.<\/p>\n Instead of mental struggles, see it as self-care where every small, daily action can contribute to better well-being.<\/p>\n This could be as simple as eating a balanced diet or doing one thing that makes you feel good or competent\u00a0regularly.<\/p>\n For those hesitant to seek help due to practical worries such as finances, mental health resources\u00a0such as\u00a0webCHAT by the Institution of Mental Health or WhatsApp counselling services from\u00a0non-profit organisations like Limitless are available, Jacqueline urged.<\/p>\n Other key findings The survey also looked into how respondents coped\u00a0when dealing with symptoms of mental health conditions.<\/p>\n The most common coping methods included watching videos, drama or movies (38 per cent), thinking positively (37 per cent) and exercise (35 per cent).<\/p>\n At the other end of the scale, seeking help from a therapist is less common with 10 per cent of respondents opting for this approach.<\/p>\n While watching movies or shows isn’t inherently negative, the intention behind the activity is key.<\/p>\n Are we truly engaged, or are we using it as an escape from the stress or anxiety?<\/p>\n This is where\u00a0terms like “numb” and “zoning out” start to surface.<\/p>\n Melissa explained that, in many of these scenarios, the anxiety or stress the individual is trying to cope with remains “trapped” in the body.<\/p>\n “I would say you are just passing time and this\u00a0doesn’t make you feel better, actually,” she highlighted.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n![\"Made](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/made_with_flourish.svg.svg+xml\")
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