CONTESTING MENTAL HEALTH STIGMA IN SINGAPORE: LESSONS FROM VOLUNTEERS OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES

Abstract

Mental health stigma (henceforth abbreviated as MHS) and discrimination against people with mental illnesses (henceforth abbreviated as PWMIs) is not a new phenomenon; existing literature has comprehensively demonstrated how society tends to be prejudiced against PWMIs. However, literature often focuses on either the general public or PWMIs, and tends to overlook another important group of social actors. They are the volunteers who advocate in support of PWMIs despite the presence of strong MHS in Singapore. They constitute a unique population to study because they neither seem to internalise nor perpetuate negative societal conceptions of PWMIs and instead champion for their cause. To uncover the reason for their counter-cultural attitudes towards PWMIs, this thesis utilised concepts from the Life Course Perspective to analyse the data collected from 13 interviews with volunteers of mental health services, as well as from the researcher’s own participant observations while volunteering at a mental health organisation. The key findings were that although these volunteers were socialised to MHS in early years, personal experiences with mental distress and relationships with PWMIs were identified as key turning points in the pathway of their stigmatised beliefs, eventually prompting them to exercise their agency to challenge MHS in Singapore. Ultimately, this thesis hopes to reveal how MHS, contrary to dominant literature, is not a deterministic construct and can be changed across one’s life course. Individuals have the agency to challenge their own stigmatised notions of mental health, and also contribute to empowering PWMIs and reducing MHS in Singapore through volunteering.