Now more than ever, mental health seems to be at the forefront of Singaporeans’ concerns.
We saw this during the recent Presidential Elections 2023 (PE2023), with now-president Tharman Shanmugaratnam and former GIC chief investment officer Ng Kok Song taking on the issue of mental health during their presidential campaigns.
So, it doesn’t seem to be a great sign that there have been “doctors” claiming to be from the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) flooding TikTok videos with comments belittling mental illness.
Here’s why these comments can be disturbing.
Fake “IMH Doctors” Flooding TikTok Videos With Unsavoury Comments
Have you ever chanced upon comments on TikTok videos from users claiming to be IMH doctors?
Their usernames usually look a little like “Dr XX from IMH” and are occasionally accompanied by an emoji of a hospital.
We’re sorry to burst your bubble if you thought these accounts were real. The truth is that these accounts are fake.
Yes, you read that right. These self-proclaimed “IMH doctors” are not real IMH doctors.
Usually, these “IMH doctors” flock to trending videos of Singaporeans doing unusual things. They would then leave comments insinuating that persons portrayed in these videos were being attended to by IMH doctors.
Essentially, it points to the inference that those portrayed in such trending videos may be mentally ill lah.
Teo En Ming and M Ravi Amongst Those Targetted By Fake “IMH Doctors”
While these fake “IMH doctors” are everywhere on TikTok, you’ll find them most commonly in the comment sections of the TikTok account @imhsg. Of course, this TikTok account does not belong to the real IMH.
For instance, the account posted a video showing a post from aspiring Japanese adult video (JAV) actor Teo En Ming, who most netizens know as “presidential hopeful” Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming.
Yes, Turritopsis Dohrnii Teo En Ming is his actual legal name.
In the post, Teo writes: “I have just went to IMH Emergency Room on 28 Aug 2023 Monday afternoon. [The] IMH Emergency Doctor refuses to admit me”.
In the comment section of the TikTok video showing Teo’s post, you’ll see a slew of comments from these fake “IMH doctors”.
One particular comment from “IMH Dr Ho Lee Fuc” reads: “Looks like i have to attend to this siaolang tmr 9am”.
In response to Teo’s remark about how the IMH emergency doctor refused to admit him, a TikTok user claiming to be one Dr Chow Chee Wai from IMH commented: “Was on leave yesterday!”.
We also see such comments in a video of the international human rights lawyer M Ravi criticising presidential candidate Tan Kin Lian.
These fake “IMH doctors” left comments claiming by way of innuendo that the lawyer was an IMH patient.
This isn’t just happening to high-profile figures. These fake “IMH doctors” also do the same when it comes to videos of ordinary Singaporeans.
For one, a video of a delivery rider kicking a traffic light, who netizens are now dubbing “Kung-Food panda”, recently circulated on social media.
In this video, we once again see the comment section being flooded by these fake “IMH doctors”.
While we do see the satirical angle, suffice it to say the comments are, nonetheless, distasteful.
To say that it’s disturbing to see such comments flooding TikTok is still an understatement—while jokes and memes about mental illness seem commonplace among youths today, it doesn’t necessarily go to show that it’s the right thing to do.
After years of advocating for greater emphasis on mental health, the topic of mental health has finally found itself somewhere in the limelight when it comes to social concerns.
Instead of making memes and leaving distasteful comments about mental health, what we should be doing is taking advantage of the fact that mental health is now at the forefront of societal concerns.
To push for actual and tangible action to tackle Singapore’s worsening mental health crisis. To promote greater awareness of mental health.
Not labelling people exhibiting strange behaviours as “IMH patients”.
Now, you may be thinking: How bad can Singapore’s mental health crisis be?
Well, it turns out that it’s pretty bad.
According to studies conducted by Duke-NUS Medical School, anxiety and depression alone may now cost Singapore nearly $16 billion annually.
That’s 2.9% of Singapore’s gross domestic product (GDP).
For reference, in 2021, our nation’s military expenditure was 3% of our GDP.
Without a doubt, mental health is high on the list of priorities.
So, the next time you feel like impersonating an IMH doctor on TikTok and leaving comments belittling mental illness, think twice about it.
If you know of any friends or family requiring support, do refer them to the real IMH doctors. You can visit the IMH website to find out how to schedule an appointment.