Young people seeking mental health help should not have to worry parents will be informed immediately: Ong Ye Kung

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.

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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.

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