| Monday, November 27, 2006 |
| Nurses Reach Out To Mentally Ill |
Read today's article in the Straits Times (dated 27th November 2006) entitled 'Nurses reach out to mentally ill' with interest and delight.
It was reported that some 25 volunteer nurses, all with psychiatric training, are joining in house visits in the Geylang Serai district to help those fighting mental illnesses.
According to Ms Doris Liew Nyuk Sim, chairman of the Psychiatric Nurses Chapter (PNC) which is part of the Singapore Nurses Association, about 12 people have been identified who needed help.
The cases were kept confidential, Ms Liew, 54, stressed. The most susceptible were the elderly, people who had lost their jobs and caregivers 'who face a lot of stress'. The most common kinds of mental illnesses include depression, extreme mood swings, as well as schizophrenia.
Studies indicate that about 16 per cent of Singaporeans suffer from depression, but fewer than half seek help. The number of students under the age of 18 who seek psychiatric help has more than doubled from 1,100 in 1990 to almost 2,000 in 2000. Of this number, about half were in primary school. |
| posted by Rita Goh @ 2:50 PM |
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