In recent years, more young people have reached out to an Institute of Mental Health (IMH) programme that helps youth with mental health issues. Experts attribute this in part to a growing awareness of depression.
The “steady increase” in the number of mental health inquiries is partly due to “a growing acceptance of the importance of seeking help early for mental health concerns”, says Ms Lee Yi Ping, a senior case manager at Community Health Assessment Team (Chat), an IMH initiative targeting those aged 16 to 30.
Depression is among the most common mental health conditions seen at Chat and other programmes for adolescents and young adults at IMH, according to mental health experts.
IMH set up Chat in 2009 to reach out to and help young people with mental health issues, as well as those at risk of developing mental health conditions.
The nationwide Singapore Mental Health Study conducted in 2010 by IMH found that major depressive disorder, which is also known simply as depression, was the most common mental illness in Singapore, with 5.8% of the adult population suffering from it at some point in their lives.
IMH’s REACH (Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health) mental healthcare service, for example, works with schools, voluntary welfare organisations and general practitioners to help students with emotional, social or behavioural issues. More severe cases may require professional intervention like medication and psychotherapy.
The causes of depression are varied. Individual, family and situational factors can place a young person at risk of depression, says Ms Lee.
Family crises such as death or divorce, or a family history of depression, academic stress, bullying, alienation from peers and traumatic experiences are some factors. Aspirational images on Instagram or Facebook can also add to unrealistic expectations and stress.
‘I COULDN’T STOP CRYING… I WOULD HAVE LOVED TO MOVE ON’
On her 15th birthday, after blowing out the candles on her cake, Ms Victoria Rebeca Tymosiewicz burst into tears.
She could not explain why she did so. Her elder sister, Maria Veronica, realised that she had been experiencing similar bouts of volatility and distress since their grandmother, whom Victoria was close to, died of illness almost a year earlier.
Victoria, now 18, says: “I realised that my family members were coping quite well (with bereavement), but I was still stuck and getting worse. I started to feel that there was a void in me I could not get out of. I felt very nervous and afraid of losing someone else I loved.”
After the birthday episode, it struck Maria, 24, that Victoria was displaying symptoms of depression.
Previously cheerful and outgoing, Victoria had become quiet and withdrawn. She had no energy and lost interest in things she previously enjoyed, like painting.
It took a while for Maria, who has a degree in psychology, to realise that her sister had depression.
Their father, 56, is a businessman and their mother, 54, a housewife. They have another 25-year-old daughter. The family decided that Victoria should see a psychiatrist, who diagnosed her as having mild depression. She took three antidepressant tablets daily and saw a psychologist every couple of months.
Eventually, she drew closer to her family members, especially her mother, for comfort and support. She wanted to learn more about her condition so that she could get better. She started going out more often and opening up to others.
About a year ago, she discovered she liked going to the gym and exercise soon became part of her self-care routine.
Victoria, who takes only half an antidepressant tablet a day now, used to think it was “shameful” to have depression.
“I’m recovering well so I can openly share about it,” she says, adding that she wants to help others in the same situation. “Sometimes people tell me, I needed to hear your story.”
LIKE BEING FORCED TO PLAY A VIDEO GAME HE KEEPS LOSING
Artist Moktarrullah Abdullah, 22, has three mental disorders.
At the age of 15, he was diagnosed with depression and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), where the sufferer gets caught in a cycle of obsession and compulsion.
When he was 19, he learnt that he has borderline personality disorder, where symptoms include changes in self-identity, mood swings and feelings of emptiness.
He also has eczema, a condition where his skin becomes dry and inflamed. His skin can get so raw and blistered that even light pressure hurts; it stings when he showers.
Two of his family members also suffer from depression.
Art has helped him cope with his monsters.
This feeling of instability is reflected in the acrylic works he is painting for an upcoming exhibition at an independent art space, he says, where he depicts trees that break apart into abstract shapes.
Occasionally, the antidepressant medication that he takes causes his hands to shake. He has to put his paintbrush down until the tremors subside.
Besides the prescribed antidepressant tablet and the sleeping pill that he takes daily – he has problems sleeping and once could not sleep for four days – he also sees a psychiatrist every month.
Like others with the illness, his depression has often posed problems in his daily life.
During his secondary school days, he could not focus or pay attention in class, which prompted scoldings and shaming from some teachers.
He describes depression as a grim game.
“It’s almost like I am forcing you to play a video game that you keep losing. The frustrating thing is, you did not ask to play to begin with. You didn’t ask to be thrown into this world.”
For him, having a routine can help blunt the edge of depression.
“I’m trying to get better at finding things that tie me down,” he says, adding that he does not have a routine job as he paints at home or does ad-hoc art projects or facilitates workshops.
He also relies on the support of a few close friends, one of whom also has OCD. “Even if there is no answer, at least we are lost together. Sometimes it helps me to not feel alone.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 18 November 2018