Before the pandemic struck, 19-year-old Ashley was already struggling with her mental health.
Ashley (not her real name) recalls: “Growing up, my self-esteem was very low. I really hated myself. I always compared myself to others and I saw myself as a failure.”
In 2018, she attempted suicide. At the end of last year, she did so again.
The fourth of five children, Ashley is taking a year’s break from the Institute of Technical Education this year to recover.
She has had mixed reactions to the COVID-19 restrictions.
The first month of the circuit breaker, which started in April, was “stressful and loud”, she says, as she was confined with her parents and siblings at home.
However, the shut-in period, where most people worked or studied at home, had resulted in a quietening of public spaces, which contributed to her recovery.
In recent months, she has relished spending time alone in the hushed void deck of her HDB flat writing in her journal, which she started after her suicide attempt last year.
She also leans on family, friends and mentors at HappYouth, a mental wellness project by the Character & Leadership Academy, a youth development charity.
Some youth like Ashley, who have existing mental health struggles, are displaying signs of resilience despite the challenges posed by COVID-19.
This comes as mental health helplines have been ringing more as a result of the pandemic. Between July and August, HappYouth received an average of nine calls each month relating to youth looking for emotional support.
This is up from an average of three such cases a month for the same period last year.
Touch Community Services received 142 calls to its helpline between March and June this year, a spike of nearly 70% compared with the same period last year.
Read more here.
Source: The Straits Times, 5 September 2020