What stops people with mental health issues from seeking treatment?

Worldwide, a large majority of those with mental illness fail to receive adequate treatment and hence undergo unnecessary suffering. Arguably as tragic is the suffering experienced by the family members who agonize about the inexplicable and seemingly never ending mental anguish of their loved ...

Feb 7

Categories: Depression, Prejudice / Discrimination, Mental Health in Asia, Self ...

Written By:
Brian Scott

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How can you help a family member or friend who may be suffering from ...

As a practising psychologist in Singapore, I often receive calls from distraught family members asking what they can do if they have a family member or friend who they suspect is suffering from depression but who is reluctant to see a mental health professional. The main goal in this situation, is ...

Jan 25

Categories: Depression, Family Problems

Written By:
Brian Scott

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Thoughts on Addiction Treatment in Singapore

This brief article is meant for counselors, family members, and those suffering from addictions. By addictions, I mean both behavioral, such as gambling, and substance abuse, such as alcohol and drugs. I will only consider three areas of addiction treatment, as I consider these three crucial to ...

Jan 13

Categories: Addictions, Drug Addiction, Gambling Addiction

Written By:
Marjorie Nixon LCSW

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Top 5 articles on Psychology Matters Asia in 2011

A new year is fast approaching with a fresh start and new challenges. Let us take a look at some of the articles that had been previously posted on Psychology Matters Asia and have been well recieved by our readers. In preparation for a brand new year, start it out by learning how to better manage ...

Dec 30

Categories: Mental Health in Asia

Written By:
Psych Mat Asia Editor

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Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their Care giver

I was fortunate to have the opportunity to meet with several parents of children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), both in the UK and in Singapore. When discussing what life is like, regardless of their residency, availability of support seemed to be one of the greatest factors in determining ...

Dec 19

Categories: Autism spectrum disorders, Caregiver Issues / Stress

Written By:
Jennifer Sunderland

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Book review of “My Voice: Overcoming”

On hearing of a newly published book on depression titled “My Voice; Overcoming”, I decided to contact the author, Mr Chua Seng Lee , to determine if there was some way of introducing this insightful book to readers of my blog. He was extremely friendly in our email exchanges and ...

Dec 6

Categories: Depression

Written By:
Brian Scott

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State of support for Children with Disabilities in Singapore

When I first moved to Singapore, I was initially struck by just how differently the attitude towards children with disabilities were from what I had known it to be in the west. A number of studies have shown the extreme gap in resources for people suffering with mental health disorders throughout ...

Nov 27

Categories: Caregiver Issues / Stress, Child and/or Adolescent Issues, ...

Written By:
Jennifer Sunderland

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How to improve your life by better managing your self-talk

Over the past 15 years, as part of a program of self exploration and development, I developed the habit of journaling on a daily basis. As part of that practice I started to record my ideas, memories etc on a voice recorder. Not only did this practice provide an abundance of ideas for my ...

Nov 11

Categories: Life Purpose / Meaning / Inner-Guidance, Positive Psychology, ...

Written By:
Brian Scott

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Special Needs Schools for Children, Teenagers and Adults in Singapore

Below is an extensive list of schools in Singapore which offer programs for children with a developmental challenge of some kind.  One advantage of this data base is that it has been organized according to the type of challenge and age group catered to. It includes the following kinds of ...

Oct 28

Categories: Antisocial personality, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder ...

Written By:
Psych Mat Asia Editor

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Introduction to Codependence

In this initial entry I want to introduce you to the topic of co-dependence which I feel is a valid and useful approach to helping people. I also use it because there are many resources available to help people recover from the effects of co-dependence (coda) including books, tapes, and videos so ...

Oct 19

Categories: Codependency / Dependency

Written By:
Brian Scott

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Benefits of Meditation and How to easily start Meditating

What is meditation? Does practicing meditation daily really bring some benefits? How does one meditate? My own experience with meditation began in the 70’s with the practice of transcendental meditation (TM), followed by Benson’s non-religious version of TM aimed at stress reduction ...

Oct 3

Categories: Mindfulness Meditation, Relaxation techniques, Stress Management

Written By:
Brian Scott

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How to reach out to clients for your mental health practice through ...

A blog is loosely defined as a web site on which an individual or group of users record opinions or information on a regular basis. In this article, we will try to highlight the usefulness of blogs and how they can help therapists engage with their clients.   When blogging about a particular ...

Sep 19

Categories: Mental Health Professions

Written By:
Psych Mat Asia Editor

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On narcissism: its history, definition and cause

Last weekend while breaking my fast in a fine hotel restaurant, a young Caucasian couple made a very noticeable entrance and sat at a nearby table. Both were at least 6 feet tall (tall by Asian standards), and attractive looking. She wore short shorts and a clinging tank-top, revealing her well ...

Sep 9

Categories: Personality problems, Self-Love, Sensitivity to Criticism

Written By:
Brian Scott

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The psychology behind riots and looting: The August 2011 English Riots

Recent news of widespread rioting and looting in several English cities has shocked most people both in England and the rest of the world.  One widely reported video on TV was particularly disturbing and perhaps even more distressful to Asians, was that of the young Malaysian student, Ashraf ...

Aug 24

Categories: Aggression & Violence

Written By:
Brian Scott

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10 ways to find psychological help in your community

If you have not seeked psychological assistance before or have just moved to a new location, trying to locate and select the right kind of help may seem a daunting task at first. In our previous article, we explored the differences between the various mental health professions ...

Aug 15

Categories: Mental Health in Asia

Written By:
Psych Mat Asia Editor

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