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MORE than one in three people here believes that the mentally ill are dangerous, and half the population thinks that the public should be protected from them.
But the truth is most mentally ill people are not violent, and those undergoing treatment are no more likely to be violent than anyone else.
A seminal study on public attitudes towards mentally ill people here uncovered these fallacies, and also found that one in two people would keep such an illness a secret.
The result of suffering in silence: Those with serious illnesses such as schizophrenia or depression do not seek the help they need, said Associate Professor Chong Siow Ann, senior consultant psychiatrist at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH), who helmed the study.
'Mental illness is like other physical illnesses, which can afflict anyone,' Prof Chong told The Straits Times. 'There are effective treatments...but like cancer or diabetes, these are ailments which will not go away on their own. The earlier one seeks treatment, the better the results.'
The study, the first of its kind here, was based on a nationwide survey done on 2,632 people aged 15 to 69. The results were published in the Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology journal.
Read the full story in Monday's edition of The Straits Times.
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