Writing once saved Nicole’s life. Now, she is using it to help others.
In 2011, struggling with major depression and generalised anxiety disorder, it was penning a suicide note that brought her back from the brink.
Her brush with death led her to seek out a new psychiatrist, a fresh course of medication and regular therapy, which all helped put her on the course to recovery.
In 2014, she started mental health publication The Tapestry Project SG, which offers encouragement to people with mental health conditions through first-person stories.
In February, it introduced a new section called #CopingCovid19 stories, in which contributors share their experiences. Stories cover topics such as parenting, financial stress and guilt about not feeling productive enough at home.
For those with mental health issues, it was a “big blow” when psychological treatment was omitted from a list of essential services allowed to operate under the circuit breaker, says Nicole.
The #CopingCovid19 stories are among new online initiatives launched in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Others, such as online workshops by mental health charity Clarity Singapore, offer a safe space for people to seek help and ask questions about mental health conditions.
The charity’s facilitators shifted Project Bloom, an eight-week programme for youths with mental health issues, online to comply with circuit breaker measures. They also moved twice-yearly mental health workshops online and increased their frequency to once a month.
Down the line, they want to offer both online and offline programmes to continue providing accessible help to the community.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times, 9 August 2020