The book launch of Practise Psychiatry — A Guide through Vignettes and MCQs was held on 21 November 2025 at Medicine+Science Library. The event was a collaboration between Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine and NUS Libraries, in an exploration on the topic of mental wellness. Highlights include the following:

• • • Welcome address: Dean of Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Prof Chong Yap Seng (below) set the tone for the afternoon by affirming NUS Medicine’s commitment to holistic, people-centred mental healthcare.
      
      
    • Book launch using a collaborative art piece: VIPs poured coloured sand into a printed art piece created by Ms Cheryl T, depicting a healthy mind sprouting seeds of positivity. This symbolised the initiation and nurturing of positive mental health growth — a visual reminder that mental wellness begins with small, intentional actions in daily life. The collective act of colouring the artwork also reflects the spirit of collaboration and creativity, values that lie at the heart of both psychiatry and education.
      
      

      From left: Ms Porsche Poh, Dr Michael Yong, Adjunct Associate Professor Cornelia Chee, Prof Chong and Print Designer cum Artist Ms Cheryl T

      

  • Dialogue with Authors: The three authors of Practise Psychiatry — A Guide through Vignettes and MCQs shared the book’s genesis and intent, highlighting mentorship, reflective practice, and the value of multi-perspective learning. The exchange sparked lively questions from the participants, including clarifications on the distinctions between psychiatry and psychology.
    

    From left: Authors Dr Cyrus, Dr Howard, Dr Cheryl and moderator Dr Edmund Chong

    

    

  • Sharing of reflections: Psychiatry resident Dr Harish Sree Sekar, and Year 4 Psychiatry student Ms Samyuktha Dhanalakshmi shared their personal insights and takeaways from the book, reflecting on how its vignettes and MCQs support clinical reasoning, empathy and patient-centred care.
    

    Dr Harish Sree Sekar

    

    Ms Samyuktha Dhanalakshmi

  • Panel discussion: Titled “Towards Tomorrow’s Psychiatry – Synergising Care, Education and Research in Singapore”, the session brought together leaders across psychiatry practice, academia, and community mental health — each offering a unique lens on how we can collectively advance the practice of psychiatry in Singapore.
    

    From left: Panelists Ms Porsche Poh, Dr Michael Yong, Dr Cyrus Ho, Prof Roger Ho and moderator Dr Edmund Chong

  • Library resources showcase: NUS Libraries Senior Librarian, Ms Annelissa Chin (below) introduced key databases for psychiatry and mental health, including PubMed, Cochrane Library, UpToDate, Clinical Key, Trip Pro and PsycINFO. She also demonstrated how to access the online version of Practise Psychiatry — A Guide through Vignettes and MCQs from the library catalogue.
    
    
  • Closing remarks: NUS Vice University Librarian, Dr Magdeline Ng (below) thanked the organisers, faculty and partners, and highlighted how the event fostered collaboration and networking – bringing together communities across sectors in a purposeful placemaking effort.
    
    
  • Post-event activities: Attendees took part in book signing, photo taking, as well a host of fringe activities, including a digital showcase on managing mental health.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    

Finally, our heartfelt thanks to everyone in the working group for making the event a success!

As part of the book launch, we have curated a collection that highlights key works on psychiatry and mental health in Singapore

It begins with early accounts of psychiatry, from Woodbridge Hospital – British Psychiatry in Singapore to Till the Break of Day, which document how colonial-era custodial care gradually transformed into modern psychiatric services. Training texts such as Tsoi’s Notes on Clinical Psychiatry and the long-running Guide to Psychiatry series show how generations of doctors were prepared for local practice. 

Alongside these are works of research and reflection. Mental Health of a Nation and Speaking Up for Mental Illness trace the growth of psychiatric research in Singapore, while the Routledge Handbook of Psychiatry in Asia and Psychology in Southeast Asia place Singapore within broader regional contexts. 

Books such as Mind Matters, Touching Hearts, Reaching Minds, and My GP, My Mental Healthcare Provider reflect community efforts to raise awareness and build bridges between hospital, primary care, and the public. Personal reflections like Fieldnotes of a Psychiatrist add a human dimension, reminding us that psychiatry is not only about science but also about people and lived experiences. 

Together, these books show how psychiatry in Singapore has developed across history, education, research, and community, bridging generations and shaping the future of care. 

Curated Reads
Looking Back: History and Beginnings

• Till the Break of Day: the definitive history of mental health services in Singapore. 

• Woodbridge Hospital – British Psychiatry in Singapore: a concise look at colonial psychiatry. 

• Guide to Psychiatry: training text used by generations of doctors. 

• Notes on Clinical Psychiatry: one of the earliest locally-oriented guides for doctors. 

Learning and Research: Building Knowledge 

• Mental Health of a Nation: insights into research and policy. 

• Speaking Up for Mental Illness: 38 years of research on stigma and mental illness. 

• Routledge Handbook of Psychiatry in Asia: situating Singapore in a wider regional context. 

• Psychology in Southeast Asia: sociocultural and clinical perspectives across the region. 

Reaching Out: Community and Collaboration 

• Mind Matters: raising public awareness about mental health. 

• My GP, My Mental Healthcare Provider: documenting GP–psychiatry collaboration. 

• Touching Hearts, Reaching Minds: celebrating 40 years of the Singapore Association for Mental Health. 

• Insight: SAMH’s long-running community magazine. 

• Imagine: IMH’s biannual magazine sharing patient stories and outreach. 

Personal Voices: Reflections from Practice 

• Fieldnotes of a Psychiatrist: personal stories from clinical practice. 

 

 

References
Bhugra, D., Tse, S., Ng, R., & Takei, N. (2016;2015;). Routledge handbook of psychiatry in Asia (D. Bhugra, R. Ng, & S. Tse, Eds.; 1st ed.). Routledge. 

Chee, K. T., (Singapore), W. H., & of Mental Health (Singapore), I. (2015). Guide to psychiatry: Woodbridge Hospital/Institute of Mental Health (14th revision.). Institute of Mental Health. 

Chee, K. T., & of Mental Health (Singapore), I. (2021). Guide to psychiatry: Singapore perspective (16th revision.). World Scientific Publishing Co. Pte. Ltd. 

Chong, S. A. (2018). Fieldnotes of a psychiatrist. Straits Times Press Pte Ltd. 

Imagine: a biannual magazine on mental health. (2016). In Imagine. 

Kua, E. H. (2011). Woodbridge Hospital – British psychiatry in Singapore. British Journal of Psychiatry, 199(6), 442–442. 

Kua, E. H. (2019). Speaking up for mental illness: 38 years of research on mental illness in Singapore (First). Write Editions. 

Kua, E. H., Mahendran, R., & Fung, D. (2002). Mind matters. Institute of Mental Health. 

Ng, B. Y. (2016). Till the break of day: a history of mental health services in Singapore, 1841–1993 (2nd ed.). Ridge Books. 

Ng, B. Y., & Fung, D. (2016). Mental health of a nation. World Scientific. 

Rich, G. J., Jaafar, J. L. S., & Barron, D. (2020). Psychology in Southeast Asia: sociocultural, clinical and health perspectives (1;1st; ed.). Routledge. 

Singapore Association for Mental Health. (1978). Insight: official publication of the Singapore Association for Mental Health. In Insight. 

Singapore Association for Mental Health. (2010). Touching hearts, reaching minds: celebrating 40 years of community wellness. Singapore Association for Mental Health. 

Tsoi, W. F. (1971). Notes on clinical psychiatry: a practical guide to clinical psychiatry for doctors in Singapore. 

Yen-Li, G., & Lum, A. (2020). My GP, my mental healthcare provider: a tertiary-primary care collaboration for community mental healthcare (Y.-L. Goh & A. Lum, Eds.). World Scientific.