Singapore takes the fourth spot in mental health index

It scored 76.4 out of 100.

A recent study which examined how well countries in Asia Pacific has been doing in treating those living with mental illness outside of institutions and to support their integration into the community has been released yesterday by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) to mark the celebration of World Mental Health Day.

Out of the 15 territories covered in the study, Singapore has been ranked fourth, after garnering a score of 76.4 in the mental health index.

The index was based on 18 indicators in four categories, including environment, opportunities, access to treatment and governance.

The Index results unambiguously put New Zealand and Australia well ahead of all other countries. They come first and second overall, as well as taking the top two spots in every category. New Zealand scored 94.7 while Australia gained 92.2.

Taking the third spot is Taiwan.

According to EIU, because of Singapore’s small size, one institution—the Institute of Mental Health—provides about 80% of its mental health care.

"Its transformation from a traditional psychiatric hospital to one leading the creation of community services has helped drive broader change across the country, it said.