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“We have to start talking, whether it’s 2, 200 or 2,000 people, and how awkward and scary it can be, when you start talking, you start the dialogue and you start disproving those myths”
- Alicia Raimundo, Mental Health Superhero
I hope to see more youths in Singapore to take on her footsteps and be a Mental Health Superhero.
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Nawira
Student and Art Lover
“I started thinking of suicide almost everyday. And when you think of suicide for most of your life, then that’s not life. It got to a point where it became unbearable because life was meaningless, life was hopeless. But actually life isn’t meaningless or hopeless. I was ill and I needed help.
It’s really not your loss, it’s the person who is stigmatising you.It’s their lose because they fail to understand who you are, like your abilities, your capabilities, and they fail to see you beyond the illness.
As someone who’s been through a mental illness, I think I should speak out and let people know what it truly is about. It’s not worth it to suffer in silence.”
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Lishan Chan
Author of “A Philosopher’s Madness”, a book which recounts her experience with Psychosis.
“In the process of writing the book, I also met other people who have the same condition as me, and I came to realise that I was not as alone as I thought I was. I began to feel comfortable having this condition.
At those times you need to just let go. You need to be able to just say yes, I need help.”
For those interested in getting her book, you are able to get it here.
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Mellisa Chong
General Manager, The Singapore Committee for UN Women
Absolutely loves chocolate mint ice cream.
I dislike tying my shoelaces.
“The main reason why I burst the silence eventually is because I came to a point where I really thought that it’s not worth living. And that line is very, very thin. That is the line between actually living and breathing for the moment versus not being existing in the world any more. And when I have touched that line, I realise that I do want to live, and not just live, but live a happy and healthy life.
And right now now, I am not fighting emergencies in my life, but rather managing it, and living it.
If there’s any advise or any sharing if I could give them, just from a person going through and gone through this, it would really be that it is worth it. It is worth it to open up. It is worth it to burst the silence.”
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Neo Lee Chai
Administrative Officer
Likes surfing the net.
“I was diagnosed with psychosis a few years ago and have started my treatment with IMH since then. It was a struggle for me in the beginning as my mind was still cloudy but with the help of the medications, I am now much calmer. My doctor, case managers, mental health professionals, family and friends helped me to slowly regain my normal state of mental well-being and bounce back stronger again.
During my recovery journey, i experienced a couple of set backs with regards to my job applications. I was feeling depressed over them but I kept on trying. I reflected over my failures and I realised that a job with a just a good pay is not enough. I needed more important elements like meaningfulness, happiness and satisfaction. Currently, i am working in a health-related environment which allows me to work towards my goals and realise my dream. :)”
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Teh Jen Lee
A journalist for 10 years.
Soon to-be PhD student in Mental Health Communication.
“My experience with bipolar was quite dramatic. I was hospitalized. My family couldn’t understand me. I was talking very, very fast. There was a danger to myself and others.
What I would say to people who may be struggling through some issues, whether it’s a medical condition or not, would be to speak up, to burst the silence. There is a lot within you that you have to give. I believe in the innate worth of each individual. We are all born and created special. There’s no one like you, ever, out there. So if you don’t speak up and share, and you end up just shutting down, the world is a poorer place because of that.
The journey is worth it to find a place where you can accept yourself and be able to give back.”
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Tan Yan Ling
Associate Consultant at a local design firm
I can’t stop doing things and am always trying to tinker and learn.
I love bright colours; they never fail to brighten up a moody day.
“I used to feel unworthy as I compared myself to my well-performing siblings like how many people around me were doing. I was forever questioning my self-worth and sitting under the table to cry. When I was waiting for my PSLE results, I finally had enough courage to talk to a camp facilitator about how worried and scared I was of seeing my PSLE results, because I was sure it would make me feel unworthy again. That camp facilitator changed my life by being there for me when I got my PSLE results, and reminding me again of how worthy I was, and how much potential I had.
In life, we sometimes go through trials and obstacles that make us doubt ourselves and our abilities, and we sometimes forget how strong we really are. Speaking to the supportive people around me always helps; they remind me of how ‘super’ I can be by reminding me of my strengths. Now I always think I am superwoman, but obviously superwoman goes back to this group of people to draw strength time and again.”
