Leaders, academics and policymakers united at Singapore symposium to transform shame into compassionate action across communities and workplaces.
Across the world, shame looms large for people suffering from mental health issues. They often feel that they’ve failed to fulfil the expectations, responsibilities and commitments towards their family, friends and society. So, better to suffer quietly than to proclaim their reality. The stigma around the topic remains strong, ranging from societal to the self-imposed. This is true particularly in Asia, where preserving the familial and collective image is a strong cultural value.
Fortunately, a new era is dawning. One of the signs of this more enlightened age is the recent inaugural Global Mental Health in Asia 2025 Symposium held in Singapore. The three-day event brought together SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute, INSEAD, the World Bank and other partners to tackle mental well-being as a critical global issue. Even just a decade ago, such a conference would be an anomaly. Now, more than 400 policymakers, academics, practitioners, NGOs and volunteers converged to share diverse viewpoints, committing themselves to counter misconceptions and take action to change the landscape.
“In Asia, we have traditionally shied away from these conversations,” said Professor Sameer Hasija, Dean of INSEAD’s Asia Campus, in an opening address. “But as we celebrate INSEAD’s 25th anniversary in Singapore, we recognise that mental health is a necessary condition for creating business leaders who can truly transform business and society.”
A turning point
Delegates and participants explored critical questions including preventative approaches to mental well-being, how to destigmatise mental health issues, using evidence-based research in policies and actions, and the impact of the climate crisis on mental health. It was clear that across Asia, public perception of mental health is evolving. Mental well-being is gradually shedding its mantle of shame and being seen as a vital part of everyday life.
There were many glimmers of hope at the symposium, including in the efforts taken by NGOs and other mental health initiatives. Professor Vikram Patel of Harvard Medical School presented findings that show positive, lasting effects from training local counsellors and individuals to normalise mental health support in communities. Likewise, this method is effective in organisations to augment psychosocial education for both employees and executives.
There is also greater governmental acknowledgement of the extent of the mental health problem and ways to respond – “a turning point”, as SingHealth Duke-NUS Global Health Institute puts it. For example, countries such as Indonesia are beginning to integrate mental health into broader public health programmes.
Much more remains to be done. The symposium proposed four main strategic approaches:
Embedding mental health into national policies: Mental health should be integrated into all policies such as national healthcare and education, rather than treated in isolation;
Leading with compassion: Effective leaders value mental well-being, seeing it as fundamental to forging a compassionate and caring society;
Prioritising community and lived experience: Localised, culturally relevant interventions are essential for meaningful impact and safeguarding the rights of people with mental health conditions; and
Ensuring sustainable funding and policy commitments: Governments must move beyond short-term funding boosts and commit to long-term investments in mental health.
Business school professors for mental health
What role can business schools play in mental well-being? Plenty, as it turns out. Day two of the symposium was held on INSEAD’s Asia Campus and featured several workshops conducted by INSEAD professors and staff. Here are some of the insights gleaned:
Leading with compassion
What is dangerous about shame is that it makes individuals think it is their problem and theirs alone. As a result, they often shun others and keep their feelings bottled up. The reality is we all exist in groups, whether it’s working in a team or living with family members. Part of the shame of people with mental health conditions stems from their lived contexts and environments. In other words, there is nothing inherently “wrong” with them.
We might not be able to fully dissipate the sense of shame, but we do not need to let it get in the way of impactful change. The darkness of shame only hides the wounds; enlightened, compassionate actions heal them. All leaders need to incorporate these actions in the way they lead, and to foster an organisational culture that’s more supportive of mental health. This is more than a corporate social responsibility tick-in-a-box or a business case to boost productivity and performance. It is a good thing, and the right thing to do.
The authors are grateful to the James M. and Cathleen D. Stone Centre for the Study of Wealth Inequality and the Hoffmann Institute for their generous sponsorship that made INSEAD’s support of the symposium possible.
