1 in 16 suffers from depression in Singapore

One in 16 people in Singapore suffers from major depressive disorder in their lifetime, making it the most common mental illness in the city state, according to the results of a study released on Friday. The Singapore Mental Health study led by the Institute of Mental Health and conducted in 2010 found that females and those who were widowed or divorced showed higher risks of depression. The study found that 12 percent of the population has at least one form of mental illness in their lifetime. For the majority, mental illness will hit by the time they are 29 years old. About one in 29 people suffered from alcohol abuse in their lifetime, while one in 33 suffered from obsessive compulsive disorder. It took an average of four years for someone suffering from depression to seek help. As for alcohol abuse, the gap is even wider at 13 years. The delay could be due to failure to identify the illness, stigma and the lack of access to help, said Chong Siow Ann, senior consultant at the Institute of Mental Health. "Anyone who has a mental health problem or thinks he has a health problem should speak to someone about it. It can be someone in the community, it can be a doctor, it can be a psychiatrist. Every doctor in Singapore has basic training as a medical doctor to deal with mental health," said Chua Hong Choon, chief executive officer of the institute.