Young people seeking mental health help should not have to worry parents will be informed immediately: Ong Ye Kung王乙康：寻求心理健康帮助的年轻人无需担心，家长会立即得到通知。
Young people seeking mental health support may be reluctant to come forward because they are worried their parents will be informed too early in the process, said Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 3).Responding to a question from East Coast GRC MP Jessica Tan on the remaining policy gaps for youths and adults seeking mental...
Young people seeking mental health support may be reluctant to come forward because they are worried their parents will be informed too early in the process, said Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung in Parliament on Tuesday (Nov 3).
Responding to a question from East Coast GRC MP Jessica Tan on the remaining policy gaps for youths and adults seeking mental health support, Ong said concerns about confidentiality and parental consent can deter some young people from seeking help.
"It is not that young people don't want to get better; they are sometimes just afraid and worried and they don't want their parents to know first," he said.
He acknowledged that current practices around parental consent vary across schools, community services and healthcare settings, with some mental health practitioners calling for the removal of such a requirement for those above the age of 14.
Ong described parental consent as a significant gap, noting that there is currently no uniform practice across schools, community care organisations, hospitals and clinics.
Ong said the Ministry of Health (MOH) is developing guidelines to provide clearer guidance on when parents of youths seeking mental health support should be informed or when consent is required.
Ong said: "A young person stepping forward to seek help should not have to worry that their parents will be informed immediately."
"Once we achieve that, and we can communicate that with young people especially, it will provide a higher level of assurance that it is safe to step forward," he said.
"Our key consideration must always be the well-being of the young person," he added, expressing hope that parents would understand this.
Ong added that MOH will also seek the public’s views on its proposed guidelines.
He also addressed other barriers in seeking mental health support, such as concerns regarding future job prospects.
Ong said one of the biggest remaining gaps is assurance, as many people are unaware that mental health conditions do not necessarily affect employment opportunities or insurance coverage.
The public service, for example, does not ask job applicants about their mental health conditions, highlighted Ong.
He also cited a high proportion of insurance applicants who declared a history of mental health conditions, and were still able to obtain life and critical illness insurance coverage.
laili.abdeen@asiaone.com
卫生部长王乙康周二（11月3日）在国会表示，寻求心理健康支持的年轻人可能不愿站出来，因为他们担心父母会过早地被告知此事。
针对东海岸集选区议员陈慧珊提出的关于青少年和成年人寻求心理健康支持方面仍然存在的政策缺口的问题，王先生表示，对保密性和父母同意的担忧可能会阻碍一些年轻人寻求帮助。
他说：“并不是年轻人不想好起来；他们有时只是害怕和担心，不想让父母先知道。”
他承认，目前学校、社区服务机构和医疗保健机构在家长同意方面的做法各不相同，一些心理健康从业者呼吁取消对 14 岁以上人群的此类要求。
Ong 指出，家长同意是一个重大缺口，并表示目前学校、社区护理机构、医院和诊所之间没有统一的做法。
王先生表示，卫生部正在制定指导方针，以便更清楚地说明何时应该告知寻求心理健康支持的青少年的父母，或者何时需要获得他们的同意。
Ong表示：“主动寻求帮助的年轻人不应该担心他们的父母会立即被告知。”
他说：“一旦我们实现了这一点，并且能够与年轻人，特别是年轻人，沟通起来，就能让他们更有信心，觉得向前迈进是安全的。”
“我们最重要的考虑因素始终必须是年轻人的福祉，”他补充道，并表示希望家长们能够理解这一点。
王先生补充说，卫生部还将就其提出的指导方针征求公众意见。
他还谈到了寻求心理健康支持的其他障碍，例如对未来就业前景的担忧。
Ong表示，目前最大的差距之一是人们的信心不足，因为许多人没有意识到心理健康状况并不一定会影响就业机会或保险覆盖范围。
Ong 强调，例如，公共服务部门不会询问求职者的心理健康状况。
他还提到，相当一部分保险申请人申报了精神健康问题史，但仍然能够获得人寿保险和重大疾病保险。
laili.abdeen@asiaone.com