About Woodbridge Hospital

Woodbridge Hospital is the former name of Singapore’s main psychiatric institution, now known as the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). Its history is essentially the history of institutional mental healthcare in Singapore.

Overview:

1. Origins of Psychiatric Care in Colonial Singapore (1840s–1920s)

Before “Woodbridge” existed, mental health care in Singapore went through several early, basic institutions:

- 1841 – First “Insane Hospital”  
  - Established in the Bras Basah area to house people with mental illness.  
  - Conditions were custodial rather than therapeutic: the focus was on confinement and basic care.  

- Mid–late 1800s – Moves and renamings  
  - The asylum moved a couple of times (including to Pasir Panjang and later to the Sepoy Lines area, near what is now Singapore General Hospital).  
  - It was known by names like “Lunatic Asylum” and “Mental Hospital”, reflecting attitudes of the time.  
  - Overcrowding and poor conditions were persistent issues as the colony grew.

These early institutions set the stage for a purpose-built psychiatric hospital, which eventually became Woodbridge.

2. The Yio Chu Kang Mental Hospital (1928–1950s)

- 1928 – Opening of the new Mental Hospital at Yio Chu Kang Road  
  - A large, purpose-built psychiatric facility was opened on Yio Chu Kang Road.  
  - It was simply called the Mental Hospital at first.  
  - It adopted the typical early 20th‑century asylum design: large wards, high walls, and a self-contained campus, emphasizing segregation from society.  

- Clinical practice in this era  
  - Treatments were limited and often rudimentary by modern standards.  
  - Care was still mostly institutional and long‑term; people often stayed for extended periods.

This Yio Chu Kang campus is what would later become famous as “Woodbridge Hospital.”

3. The Name “Woodbridge Hospital” (1951)

- 1951 – Renamed Woodbridge Hospital  
  - The hospital was renamed Woodbridge Hospital, reportedly after a wooden bridge near the entrance to the grounds.  
  - Over time “Woodbridge” became the common way Singaporeans referred to the national psychiatric hospital.  
  - The name also picked up colloquial and sometimes stigmatizing connotations, as it became shorthand for “mental hospital.”

During this post‑war period, new psychiatric drugs and therapies began to be introduced, slowly changing the nature of treatment toward more active medical and psychological intervention.

4. Modernization and Shift in Philosophy (1960s–1980s)

From the 1960s onward, Woodbridge Hospital went through significant transformation:

- Introduction of modern treatments  
  - Use of antipsychotics, antidepressants, and mood stabilizers.  
  - Development of psychotherapy, occupational therapy, and social work as part of psychiatric care.  

- Gradual move away from pure institutionalization  
  - The global movement toward deinstitutionalization influenced Singapore.  
  - Greater emphasis on rehabilitation and returning patients to the community where possible, instead of lifelong confinement.  

- Expansion of services  
  - Care for children and adolescents, geriatric psychiatry, addiction treatment, and forensic psychiatry gradually developed.  
  - Training roles expanded: the hospital became a key site for training doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals in mental health.

Woodbridge began moving from being just an asylum to being a modern psychiatric center.

5. Move to Buangkok and Creation of IMH (1993–1990s)

- 1993 – Relocation and renaming  
  - The old Yio Chu Kang site was replaced by a new, purpose-built campus at Buangkok Green.  
  - The institution was renamed Institute of Mental Health / Woodbridge Hospital.  
  - The dual name reflected a transition: acknowledging the well‑known “Woodbridge” name while repositioning the institution as a modern medical institute.

- Design and concept of the new campus  
  - More open, therapeutic environment compared to the older asylum-style layout.  
  - Facilities were better suited for specialized services, research, and training.

This move symbolized a deliberate effort to modernize mental healthcare and reduce the stigma associated with the old “asylum” image.

6. From “Woodbridge” to IMH: Changing Identity and Stigma (2000s–Present)

- Over time, the official and public usage shifted increasingly toward “Institute of Mental Health (IMH)”, with “Woodbridge Hospital” retained mainly as a historical name.
- IMH today:
  - Singapore’s national psychiatric hospital and main tertiary mental health center.  
  - Provides acute inpatient care, outpatient services, community-based programs, emergency psychiatric services, and subspecialty clinics.  
  - Active in research, public education, and anti‑stigma campaigns.  

The move from “Woodbridge Hospital” to IMH reflects broader changes:
- From custodial care → evidence‑based, multidisciplinary treatment  
- From isolation → community integration and early intervention  
- From stigma and fear → increasing public awareness and normalization of mental health issues

Short Summary

- Pre‑1928: Mental illness managed in small colonial asylums (Insane Hospital, Lunatic Asylum), often overcrowded and custodial.  
- 1928: Large Mental Hospital opens at Yio Chu Kang Road.  
- 1951: Renamed Woodbridge Hospital, becoming Singapore’s main psychiatric institution.  
- 1960s–1980s: Modern treatments, rehabilitation, and training expand; philosophy shifts away from long‑term institutionalization.  
- 1993: Hospital relocates to Buangkok Green and is renamed Institute of Mental Health / Woodbridge Hospital.  
- 2000s–present: Common name becomes IMH; Woodbridge survives mainly as a historical term.

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This was the original location of Woodbridge Hospital:

The road leading to it was Jalan Woodbridge.

 

In 2001, the developer MCL wrote in to change this road Jalan Woodbridge to Gerald Drive. This was approved. As Woodbridge Hospital moves further down a few kilometres away. Today the epic centre where it once stood is exactly at Hougang Primary School grounds. Close to this is Hougang One (formerly Hougang Point). In close proximity are HDB flats Blocks 970, 927, 938 etc..

In red: roughly the location of the former Woodbridge Hospital buildings

Hougang Primary School is ground zero for the former Woodbridge Hospital 

Source & Credit: