Looking after your mental health is as ordinary and as important as looking after the rest of you, and anxiety and depression are common, treatable, and nothing to be ashamed of. If you are struggling, in Singapore or anywhere else, the most useful thing to know is that support is available and reaching out is a sign of strength, not weakness. This guide covers where to find help in Singapore, what treatment can involve, and how to look after yourself and the people around you.

If you need support now

If you are struggling and want to talk to someone, help is available around the clock in Singapore:

  • national mindline 1771: call or message for round-the-clock mental health support.
  • Samaritans of Singapore (SOS): 24-hour helpline on 1767, or CareText on WhatsApp at 9151 1767.
  • Institute of Mental Health (IMH) 24-hour helpline: 6389 2222.
  • In a medical emergency, or if someone is in immediate danger, call 995.

There is no threshold you need to reach before these are “for you”. If things feel heavy, that is reason enough to reach out.

You are not alone, and help is normal

Anxiety and depression are among the most common health conditions in the world. The World Health Organization describes depression as a widespread condition, different from ordinary sadness or short-lived low mood, that affects how you feel, think and function, and that is treatable. The same is true of anxiety. These are not character flaws or things to simply push through alone.

Singapore has invested heavily in making support easier to reach and less daunting. In 2025 the Ministry of Health launched the national mindline 1771, a round-the-clock national helpline offering a safe, confidential space to seek help without fear of stigma. That such a service exists, and is promoted nationally, reflects how mainstream looking after your mental health has rightly become.

Recognising anxiety and depression

It helps to know roughly what these conditions look like, while remembering that only a professional can actually diagnose them. Depression tends to involve a persistent low mood, loss of interest or pleasure in things you used to enjoy, changes in sleep and appetite, low energy, and difficulty concentrating, lasting weeks rather than days. Anxiety tends to involve excessive, hard-to-control worry, restlessness, tension and physical symptoms like a racing heart.

The key signal is persistence and impact: feelings that stick around and get in the way of daily life, work or relationships. If that sounds familiar, it is worth talking to someone rather than waiting for it to pass on its own.

Where to get help in Singapore

There are several good entry points, and you do not need to start with the most specialised one. A GP or a polyclinic doctor is a sensible and private first stop; they can listen, assess what is going on, and guide you to the right next step. The national mindline 1771 is there for support and for help finding the right service. For self-help tools and information on reaching out, HealthHub’s MindSG gathers resources in one place, and mindline.sg lists helplines and counselling services. For more specialised care, the Institute of Mental Health and various hospital and community services offer assessment and treatment.

The common thread is that the first step is almost always simply telling someone. Everything else follows from there.

What treatment can involve

Treatment is effective, and it is usually tailored to you. For many people, talking therapies, structured conversations with a trained professional, are central, and for milder difficulties they may be all that is needed. Lifestyle matters too: sleep, activity, connection with others and reducing alcohol all genuinely help.

For moderate to severe depression or anxiety, a doctor may also discuss medicine. The commonly used antidepressants include a group called SSRIs, such as sertraline, escitalopram and fluoxetine, within the wider mental health range. These can be very helpful, but they are very much a medicine to use under a doctor’s care: they are started gradually, take a few weeks to work, are reviewed over time, and should not be started or stopped abruptly on your own. Whether medicine is right, and which one, is a decision made with a doctor who knows your situation, which is why we do not give doses here. The point is never to self-medicate, but to get the right support.

Looking after yourself, and others

Alongside professional help, the everyday things genuinely matter: protecting your sleep, staying active, keeping connected to people, going easy on alcohol, and being kind to yourself about what you can manage. None of these replace treatment when it is needed, but they support it.

If you are worried about someone else, the most valuable thing you can offer is often the simplest: ask how they are, listen without rushing to fix, and gently encourage them towards support. Sharing a helpline number, or offering to sit with them while they make a call, can make a real difference. You do not need to have the answers to be a help.

A note on keeping treatment going

If you are settled on a treatment with your doctor and living in Singapore, continuity matters as it does with any regular medicine, and these are medicines that a doctor prescribes and reviews. Our guide to buying medicine in Singapore covers how pharmacies and the rules work, and you can find treatments by their active ingredient through our active ingredient pages. Always follow the plan your doctor has set, and bring any changes or concerns back to them rather than adjusting things yourself.

Where to go next

Anxiety and depression are common and treatable, and the hardest part is often just the first step of reaching out. Singapore has made that step easier than ever, with national support a phone call away. If you are struggling, talk to someone today, whether a helpline, a GP or a person you trust. Explore HealthHub’s MindSG for resources, and read our guide to buying medicine in Singapore if you need to keep a treatment going.

This guide is general information, not medical advice, and it is not a substitute for professional help. If you are struggling, please reach out to a doctor or one of the helplines above.

  • national mindline 1771 (Singapore): round-the-clock mental health support, via MOH
  • Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) 24-hour helpline: 1767; CareText WhatsApp 9151 1767
  • Institute of Mental Health 24-hour helpline: 6389 2222; emergency 995
  • HealthHub (Singapore): MindSG, seeking support
  • mindline.sg (Singapore): get help
  • World Health Organization: depression