Dr David Teo Choon Liang
Deputy Medical Director, Senior Consultant, Psychiatrist
Education
- Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery, National University of Singapore
- Member of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, United Kingdom
- Fellow of the Academy of Medicine (Psychiatry), Singapore
Age groups
Areas of interest
Languages
Comprehensive and diverse clinical expertise
Dr Teo is an experienced psychiatrist and psychodynamic therapist with over 15 years of expertise in treating a broad spectrum of mental health conditions across the lifespan. His clinical interests include youth mental health, mood and anxiety disorders, psychosomatic medicine, occupational mental wellness, and psychodynamic psychotherapy. After attaining MOH specialist accreditation in Psychiatry, he trained in Psychosomatic Medicine at Columbia University Medical Center under the prestigious Health Manpower Development Plan Fellowship. He is certified in Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and Group Analysis, enhancing his skills in integrated person-centred care.
Collaborative, compassionate and holistic treatment philosophy
Dr Teo prioritises fostering a trusting therapeutic relationship by exploring patients’ values, experiences, and relationships to understand the person behind the symptoms. He collaborates with patients, families, and healthcare professionals to develop personalised, holistic treatment plans that address the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of their challenges. By integrating evidence-based medications and psychotherapy tailored to his patients’ unique needs and preferences, he aims not only to alleviate symptoms but also to foster personal growth, helping them thrive and lead fulfilling lives.
Excellence in clinical leadership, innovation and mental health service delivery
Dr Teo served as Senior Consultant Psychiatrist at Changi General Hospital (CGH), leading initiatives in the Adolescent, General Adult, Consultation-Liaison, Sleep, and Psychodynamic Psychiatry services. He also served as a military psychiatrist in the Singapore Armed Forces. Dr Teo headed CGH’s Health Wellness Programme, an award-winning community mental health collaborative care programme for youth and adults, and also founded the Medical Humanities Programme to promote person-centred care and reduce staff burnout. He received the Singapore Health Quality Service Gold Award for his dedication to compassionate care.
Committed educator, researcher and advocate for mental wellness
Dr Teo is a passionate educator who trains future doctors and mental health professionals. He served as Clinical Assistant Professor at NUS Yong Loo Lin and Duke-NUS Medical Schools, and faculty for the National Psychiatry and SingHealth Family Medicine Residency Programmes, earning teaching awards. He publishes in international journals and textbooks and is Secretary for the World Psychiatric Association Psychotherapy Section and the Child and Adolescent Psychiatrists Section at the Academy of Medicine Singapore. He actively promotes mental wellness through national committees, community volunteering, public speaking and media engagements.
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Shaping healthier communities
Deeply involved in local volunteer work and committed to addressing mental health challenges on a wider scale
Achievements
- Gold Award, Singapore Health Quality Service Awards, 2024
- SingHealth Excellence (Distinguished Team) Award – Team Leader, 2023
- SingHealth Duke-NUS Medicine Academic Clinical Programme Senior Educator Award, 2020
- SingHealth 10-year Long Service Award, 2019
- Health Manpower Development Plan (HMDP) Fellowship Award 2018 – Psychosomatic Medicine Across Hospital and Community Settings – A New Paradigm of Seamless, Integrated Care
- Changi General Hospital Quality Improvement Festival 2018 – Silver Award
- Changi General Hospital Research Grant 2017 – A Qualitative Study on the Relationship Between Social Media Use and Depressive Symptoms and Deliberate Self-Harm in Depressed Adolescents
- 3rd SingHealth Duke-NUS Education Conference, 2017 – Merit / Commendation Award
- Changi General Hospital Quality Improvement Festival 2015 – Silver Award
Selected publications
- Teo DCL, Silvio JR, Condemarín R, Nair SS, Alfonso CA, Tasman A. Combined Psychotherapy and Somatic Treatments. In: Tasman A, Riba MB, Schulze TG, Ng C, Alfonso CA, Lecic-Tosevski D, et al., editors. Tasman’s Psychiatry 5ed: Springer; 2023. https://link.springer.com/referenceworkentry/10.1007/978-3-030-42825-9_95-1
- Teo DCL, Sasidharan SN, Winslow RM. Illicit drug consumption in Singapore: Where are we in the fight against drugs? Ann Acad Med Singap. 2024 Apr 29;53(4):216-218. doi: 10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2024134. PMID: 38920177
- Siste K, Teo DCL, Sotsky J, Ruzyanei N, Mwita M, Alfonso CA (2023). Suicide and HIV. In The Pocket Guide to HIV Psychiatry, Edited by MA Cohen MA and LS Pereira. Washington DC: American Psychiatric Press Publishing, Inc.
- Peh ALH, CS Lim, Teo DCL (eds). Guide to Psychiatry in Primary Care. 2022
- Alfonso CA, Teo DCL, Sotsky J, Siste K, Jaafar NRN, Mwita M. Suicide in HIV. Springer International Publishing; 2022. p. 309-25.
- Teo DCL, Wuan EK, Lee DS, Tay AT, Cheng SE. Psychodynamic Psychiatry in Singapore. Psychodynamic Psychiatry. 2022 Sep;50(3):453-60
- Teo DCL, Ng J, Soo SC, Kwan CSY, Tan WM, Ho SCW, Peh ALH. The Ecosystem of Community Mental Health in Singapore. The Singapore Family Physician, 2022;48(4):58-59
- Nair SS, Chua JM, Teo DCL. Lurasidone-Induced Manic Switch in an Adolescent with Bipolar I Disorder: a Case Report. East Asian Arch Psychiatry 2021;31:80-2. doi: 10.12809/eaap2040
- Teo DCL, Yan S, Tan MSQ, Lim HK, Tirtajana I, Saffari ES, Peh LH. Impact of an Integrated Care Programme on Patient-reported Outcomes for Mild to Moderate Mental Health Conditions in Singapore – A Pilot Study. Singapore Medical Journal. 2021; 62 (5), 230-234.
- Nair S, Kwan SY, Ng CWM, Teo DCL. Approach to the Patient with Multiple Somatic Symptoms. Singapore Medical Journal. 2021; 62 (5), 252-258.
- Mok TJL, How CH, Teo DCL, Mok VWL. Primary care approach to first-episode psychosis. Singapore Med J. 2024 Oct 1;65(10):586-590. doi: 10.4103/singaporemedj.SMJ-2022-124. Epub 2024 Oct 4. PMID: 39379034.
- Tan YK, Kwan YH, Teo DCL, Velema M, Deinum J, Tan PT, et al. Improvement in quality of life and psychological symptoms after treatment for primary aldosteronism: Asian Cohort Study. Endocr Connect. 2021;10(8):834-44.
- Ng JWL, Peh ALH, Teo DCL, Goh LG. Preventing Mental Illness: The Role of Primary Care Physicians. The Singapore Family Physician. 2021;47(7):27-31.
- Teo DCL, Kamaneh S, Duchonova K, Ng JWL. Religion, Spirituality, Belief systems and suicide. In: Suicide by Self-Immolation – Biopsychosocial and Transcultural Aspects. Springer. 2021
- Teo DCL, Della DC, Michael MC, Tay TS. Affective States in Suicide. In: Suicide by Self-Immolation – Biopsychosocial and Transcultural Aspects. Springer. 2021
- Della CD, Teo DCL, Agiananda F, Nimnuan C. Culturally informed psychotherapy in Asian consultation‐liaison psychiatry. Asia-Pacific Psychiatry. 2021;13(1). doi: 10.1111/appy.12431.
- Olarte SW, Teo DCL, Alfonso CA. Intermittent Treatment with the Psychodynamic Psychiatrist: A Patient-Centered Approach. Psychodyn Psychiatry. 2020 Fall;48(3):314-336. doi: 10.1521/pdps.2020.48.3.314. PMID: 32996848.
- Yan S, Wuan KM, Peh LH, Tay TS, Ho CW, Saffari SE, Teo DCL. Impact of Experience-Based, Longitudinal Psychiatry Training on Family Medicine Residents’ Attitudes Toward Depression and Psychiatry in Singapore: a Prospective Study. Academic Psychiatry (2018). doi: 10.1007/s40596-018-1006-3.
- Teo DCL, Wong HK, Tan SN. Atypical Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome Precipitated by Clozapine and Quetiapine Overdose: A Diagnostic Challenge. Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience. 2018 Jul;15(7-8):20.
- Wuan E, Tay TS, Peh LH, Teo DCL. Dynamic interactions in the Primary Care Consultation and An Introduction to Balint Groups. Singapore Family Physician. 2018 44(4): 32-34.
- Teo DCL, Abraham AM, Peh AL. Folie à deux and Fregoli syndrome with greater severity in the ‘secondary’– A case report. Asian Journal of Psychiatry. 2017 Feb 28;25:254-5.
- Ng ES, Tan CH, Teo DCL, Seah CY, Phua KH. Knowledge and perceptions regarding colorectal cancer screening among Chinese — a community-based survey in Singapore. Preventive medicine. 2007 Nov 30;45(5):332-5.