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SG Mental Health Matters is a community of mental health advocates and researchers, and in 2021 they ran the #AreWeOkay poll to better understand the issues of access, affordability, and quality of mental healthcare in Singapore. With two of its members today – former nominated member of parliament Anthea Ong and postdoctoral researcher Dr. Rayner Tan – we learn more about the community’s work, the poll’s findings, and their proposal for a Mental Wellbeing and Sustainable Development Office in Singapore.
Anthea (Mental health: Awareness, acceptance, and action and “Are we listening?”: Coalescing around downstream and upstream mental health action) and Rayner (On the researcher’s privileged position, community partnerships, data and research advocacy) were previously on the podcast. A previous feature on mental health at the workplace is also very relevant to our conversation.
(Content and trigger warning: This episode contains references to suicide.)

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My conversation with Anthea and Rayner is part of our joint 2021 focus on researchers as well as on civil society groups, efforts, and issues in Singapore (https://socialservice.sg/podcast/). The feature photo is by Stefan Spassov on Unsplash.