The Need for Scholarly Evaluation of Programmes Targeting Mental Health Stigma in Singapore

Abstract

Stigma towards people with mental illness is widely prevalent in Singapore despite nearly 2 decades of anti-stigma efforts. The latest and most ambitious initiative to tackle stigma, "Beyond the Label", was launched in 2018. We believe that it is timely to highlight the missing gap in Singapore's anti-stigma efforts-the lack of evaluative research on anti-stigma programmes. It is crucial that organisations involved in the battle against stigma publish peer-reviewed papers detailing the construction and effectiveness of their programmes vis-à-vis established frameworks or guidelines. We also provide suggestions on useful resources for organisations that are engaged in anti-stigma work.