The state of our population’s mental health has been on a steady decline over the years. In a National Population Health Survey conducted by Singapore’s Ministry of Health (MOH) in 2022, it noted a 3.6% increase in cases from 2020, with young adults aged 18 to 29 years comprising the highest proportion with poor mental health.
It is crucial then for us to consider how we – as members of the human race, should pay attention to the state of our mental well-being. Doing so is in no competition to our Faith, but enables us to be holistic beings, thereby being more effective in our service of society.
In this episode of TBH, we speak to Fr. Charles Sim, S.J., a Jesuit priest with a background in counselling psychology and family therapy, as well as Joyce Charley, a Senior Mental Health Counsellor at Clarity Singapore, a mental health charity that empowers persons with mental health issues to lead meaningful lives through support, acceptance and recovery. We speak about the relationship between mental health and faith, and address misconceptions that many might have. For instance, do you suppose that an individual’s struggle with his mental health accurately indicates that he is weak or is a “bad” Catholic who lacks faith in God?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
Learn more about Clarity Singapore at
Learn more about Kingsmead, a centre for Ignatian Spirituality and Counselling, at
More mental health resources at
[DISCLAIMER]
The sentiments shared by the cast of To Be Honest are not representative of the Church, any organisation, and/or of themselves. They bring to the table sentiments of those on the ground, so as to provide you with a more holistic discussion.
While we do encourage you to dialogue in the comments section, please do so in a respectful, charitable, and constructive manner that neither seeks to attack nor discriminate against any individual or organisation. Any of such comments will be taken down, so as to provide a safe space for thoughts to be shared in a way that builds understanding and communion.
► CHAPTERS
0:00 Introduction
0:50 Statistics of mental health
3:12 Nature v/s Nurture
4:15 Can I label myself with a mental health disorder without having a professional diagnosis?
5:59 Symptoms of depression
7:51 How to find the right counsellor
11:09 Danyelle’s mental health journey
13:39 Struggling to pray and how to keep the faith
16:30 What not to say to someone struggling with their mental health
17:36 Importance of community
19:19 Sharing our mental health struggles with our family
21:02 Importance of parents in their children’s mental health recovery
22:58 Stigma of taking medication
24:27 Are mental health issues caused by physical or spiritual causes?
26:31 Why did God give me mental health issues?
30:20 What are the goals of counselling?
33:45 Difference between a spiritual director and a mental health professional
34:52 How to help a friend with mental health issues
38:39 Struggles of journeying with a friend with mental health issues
41:44 Misconception: “My situation isn’t THAT bad, I don’t deserve to get professional help”
42:31 Misconception: “Counselling is expensive”
44:17 When confidentiality should be broken by a counsellor or a friend
45:47 Alternatives to saying “I’ll pray for you”
46:51 Stigma of seeking help
48:37 Is it discriminatory to prevent someone from serving if they are struggling with mental help issues?
52:52 Outro
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My personal point of view is that mental health issue (except for some specific categories of mental conditions) is driven by a root cause. Managing the emotion with medication is a good thing but if we don't deal with the root within the person, the bad emotion will re-emerge.
Only Jesus can deal with the root cause within us. 💖
I enjoy this segment throughly.
These days there are more pronounced cases of identity and performance anxiety everywhere.
@45:06 when someone say to you “keep it a secret and don’t tell anybody“ that is an alarm bell. Ask them why this can’t be share and work along that line and could be a trust issue either way.
@48:36 Firstly, ask the person to reconsider. It might do more damage to oneself should there be a trigger point and create a further setback thereafter. Secondly, ask the person to pray and answer “Is it my need to serve or to serve the need”
Yes. There is a need for “Broken Healer” in ministry and to be effective, one has to be sufficiently functional.
These days the work is really a battlefield hospital out there.