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Depression Lies: Vivien’s Story
By Vivien Y. // Depression is a bad friend. The kind that sticks around and pours poison in your ear. It follows me to work meetings, Friday nights with friends, back home in bed and most recently, it followed me to a gig. You see I’m a singer-songwriter, and sometimes I get asked to perform…
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Book Review: Reasons to Stay Alive by Matt Haig
By Beyond A Maze // Depressed at 24, Matt Haig wanted to jump off a cliff. But he chose to turn back. A few years later, Haig penned his experiences and thoughts in Reasons to Stay Alive (RTSA). But RTSA is more than a memoir that raises awareness about mental illness. It’s more than a…
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The Struggle for Better Days: Vivien’s Story
By Vivien Y. // I had lost a visible amount of weight in a short amount of time and people said that I looked great. The truth was that at 22 and living through the tribulations of the final semester of university, I was incredibly depressed. I wasn’t eating, I couldn’t sleep, I was running…
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“Get Over It! What Is This ‘Depression’ Thing Anyway?”: Kevin’s Story
By Kevin W. // Depression is pain—a devastating, yet invisible pain. And so, unless it’s experienced firsthand, it’s hard to comprehend. Consider this analogy: Your brain is to you what a processor is to a computer—both carry out commands to enable healthy functioning. Depression is a virus—a vicious, nasty virus. As with how a virus corrupts…
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Waves of Depression: Jacelynn’s Story
By Jacelynn // I’ve been receiving school counselling since I was in Primary 5. But it was only in October 2015 that I was officially diagnosed by a GP. I was having extreme suicidal thoughts. So extreme to the point that I would become nauseous. I’d run out of the house and kept on running…
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Depression is a Jerk: Mak’s Story
By Kean Loong // He is next to me, at the head of my bed the moment I wake up. He smiles, then kicks at my head, and jumps on my chest. He sneers, “So what’s lined up for today? Shall I tell you the ways I can interfere and make sure your life doesn’t…
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Chasing Joy: Judith’s Story
By Judith // It all started when I was 13 years old. The taunts, unkind words, and mean laughter sought to strip me of the little joy that I was holding on to. Every day, I had no one to spend my recess time with, which all started with a girl in my class rallying…
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A Different Voice: Vanessa’s Story
By Vanessa // I would like people to become more aware of and accepting of mental illness. Living with mental illness isn’t easy. It is like having a monster that eats you from within. Except no one can see this monster, so no one believes you when you talk about it. I have been dealing…
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6 Things to Say in Place of ‘Positivity’ Clichés
By Kean Loong // When faced with someone who is depressed, what do you instinctively say to the sufferer? There’re many messages of positivity out there which are fallacies and can make a mental health sufferer feel worse. When interacting with someone who has mental health or mood disorders, speaking the truth is always more…
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You Remain: Andrea’s Story
By Andrea // I have been struggling with clinical depression, anxiety, stress and agoraphobia for two years now. I rarely leave home and find it difficult to interact with strangers and see no hope for myself in my future. This is my reality. I worked as an English tutor at education companies in Asia but…
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Returning to Work When You Have a Mental Health Condition
By Nicole K. // World Mental Health Day 2017 focuses on mental health in the workplace. Eleven months ago I left the world of freelancing and entered the corporate arena of office cubicles and staff passes, where the majority of “normal working people” resided. I was a part-timer who worked four out of five days…
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Boys Don’t Cry: Andrew’s Story
By Andrew Y. // I remember the night I surprised myself with my ability to cry. This was during my National Service. My mum was driving me back to camp and I started to tear while talking about how difficult NS was. It was at that point when I realised that I had a problem, and…
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Recovery is a Journey, Not a Destination: Sam’s Story
By Sam // To others, I appear a tough, strong, and independent girl: life’s hard knocks will not keep me down; I have a solid goal in life, a good career, and a partner. Little did I expect, I hit the rock bottom last April. It began when I felt lost all of a sudden.…
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Secret Shame and Restoration: Ryan’s Story
By Ryan // There is a saying, that the happiest people are usually the saddest people. Be it that of leaders or that one friend who is always helping people–they give so much of themselves to others but they do not receive much in return. I personally feel that depression is a constant battle within…
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Caring For a Loved One Who Has Depression
By Nicole K. // I recently shared my two cents on this topic in an interview with Health Scoop, particularly on the do’s and don’ts when it comes to caring for someone who has depression. The full article can be found via this link – https://www.myhealthscoop.com/the-scoop/help-loved-one-whos-depressed/ How To Help A Loved One Who’s Depressed Nicole is…
