Breaking down the stigma against mental illnesses

By Teo Peklyn

Honours year, Business student


X-STIGMA TEAM(from left): Teo Peklyn, Melissa Chua, Edvin Zhuang, Teh Yi Lynn and Lim Li Ting To a certain extent, the competitiveness of life in Singapore has made many persons less willing to share about any stress and anxiety they might feel, with the notion that it would be akin to exposing their vulnerabilities to all. This has inspired us to take the initiative to venture into this less explored area of social entrepreneurship as part of our curriculum. Working with the NUS Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy and calling ourselves 'The X-Stigma Team', the five of us organised a competition aptly named X-Stigma, to encourage the creation of creative campaigns that could be used to break down the stigma that many hold against mental illnesses.

The objective of conducting 'X-Stigma' is to provide an interactive platform for students to be involved in the understanding and learning of issues surrounding mental health. We hope that through this process, we will be able to raise public awareness of the issues associated with mental health, as well as to mitigate the prevailing stigma attached to individuals coping with mental health issues in our society.

The competition which we organized was targeted at junior colleges, polytechnics and universities. Teams were required to come up with their special remedy - a campaign proposal where shortlisted teams were required to execute the campaign in their own schools. Based on this, the top five finalists were chosen and their work presented at the X-Stigma finals.

As the teams progressed through the different stages of the competition, participants were given opportunities to gain an insight into prevalent social stigmas, understand the real causes and treatment of mental illness through interactions with professional counsellors from the Early Psychosis Intervention Programme, help their peers and contribute towards a social cause.

The final event was held at the National Library, Open Plaza on 18 September 2009. On top of the presentations and exhibitions prepared by the finalists, there was an opportunity to learn more about social enterprises such as the likes of Silver Ribbon, Dignity Links. Volunteer groups such as the Health Promotion Board's Audible Hearts and Achievers from the Institute of Mental Health were also there to share their knowledge on mental health issues, along with their work aimed at eradicating the stigma.

Last but not least, the X-Stigma organisers together with NUS Breakers looked at not just breaking the stigma but also to assist in breaking a Singapore Record - the longest palm printed banner! (At the time that the article was written, NUS Breakers was in the midst of registering the record).