Social Dimension Singapore

Understanding Oppression in Mental Health

 By Koh Li Lian

 

 

 

What is Oppression?

             Mary Rogers (1997), in sharing on feminist ideas, defines oppression as “an experiential notion” and referred to “how people in the lower reaches of social hierarchies react over time by way of their identities and emotions”; and a measure of “the toil of social hierarchies and systems of domination on the more dominated”. The concept of the dichotomy of men and women parallels the concept of abnormality and sanity. The ‘sane’ persons often dominate persons who are deemed to be ‘abnormal’ due to their mental states.

             Adam Podgórecki’s (1993) definition of oppression as “an external or internal man-made limitation of the available options of human behaviour of an individual or a group” strikes a chord with me. Oppression can be experienced publicly or privately, does not exist naturally and may be directed to an individual or a collective group. He speaks of false consciousness, which indicates that oppression could appear in covert and implicit forms and may not be explicit to the public’s eyes, such as in racial domination and oppression of females.

 

The Role of Medical Social Workers in Psychiatric Community Outreach

By Poon Weng Cheong, Kong Lai Yee and Geraldine Wong

 

 

Medical Social Work in IMH started in the sixties at Woodbridge Hospital when the first social worker came from the United Kingdom to set up services for the poor in Singapore.  Services then were naturally more inclined towards financial and welfare areas in view of the economic circumstances.

Over the decades, this role has evolved alongside the country’s progress economically. The MSW’s role in IMH has followed suit in its transformation. In the mental health setting, the MSW pays special attention to the social context of the person with mental illness (PMI), which entails the need to address social consequences arising as a result of the mental illness. The social context refers to the social environment of the individual and how it shapes the experiences of the mental illness. The social consequence refers to the impact of the mental illness on the person, family, and community (Bland 2001:147) 

My Hanoi Experience

By Deidre Chong Ee May

A team of 7 medical social workers in Singapore partnered with the Singapore International Foundation to conduct  training to Healthcare Workers in Vietnam. Senior Medical Social Worker Deidre Chong Ee May tells her side of the story.

 

It was a thrill to know that I was invited to conduct the Palliative Care Training to doctors and ancillary staff or Healthcare Workers (HCWs) at K2 Hospital.  I have a special interest in getting involved in International Social Work as I feel that it is wonderful to be able to share one’s knowledge and make it applicable to other settings. K2 Hospital is located about 45 minutes from Hanoi City.  For 5 days, the dedicated driver of K2 Hospital chauffeured the team of 4 Medical Social Workers to different hospital institutions.  It was a view to watch the multitude of motorcycles whizzing past our van.

 

 

Caring for Patients and Caregivers

By Candice Tan Jia-En

Parkinson’s disease is typically ascribed with having tremors, rigidity, slowness in movements, as well as poor balance. These are the physical symptoms that characterize Parkinson’s and while they pose as a definite struggle, focusing on the emotional and psychological changes is just as vital in understanding and living well with the disease.

When we talk about care and support for Parkinson’s, it is pertinent then to extend beyond the physical care and consider aspects such as emotional well-being, morale and the individual’s coping with the progressive implications.  

Psychosocial Rehabilitation of Individuals with Psychiatric Condition – the increasing role of Medical Social Workers at the Institute of Mental Health

By Koh Chee Wai

Numerous research has shown that being actively involved in vocational activities has immediate therapeutic value as it “connects” the individual with the real world.  Employment provides a sense of self worth and self-identity to people with psychiatric conditions as they would have otherwise lose a meaningful role in their lives in the course of their illness.

In the eighties, the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) embarked on the journey of transformation from a primarily custodial institution to a psychiatric treatment facility that emphasized on the rehabilitation needs of individuals with psychiatric conditions.  Medical Social Workers (MSW) assigned to work in the psychiatric rehabilitation wards formed part of the multi-disciplinary team involved in the rehabilitation work of individuals with psychiatric disabilities.  Vocational rehabilitation thus took on a more intensive pace.