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Depression and Anxiety

Writer's picture: Xue Ting WeeXue Ting Wee

 


The recent death of pop diva Coco Lee deeply saddens the entire world. Growing up, I have always listened to the wonderful music she has brought to both the Mandarin pop as well as Western pop scene. Just the mention of her name, the melody of “Reflections” from Mulan and “刀马旦” started playing in my head. To me, she’s an iconic trendsetting Asian woman, transcending boundaries which used to divide Mandarin and Western pop music.

 

However, what compels me to write this note is because I wish to spread awareness.  Depression is not that uncommon. The prevalence of depression is about 15% based on local data. That is more than 1 in 10 persons in Singapore at any one time! I am sure this struck a chord with you too, because, I’m pretty sure you would know of a family or a friend who is suffering from depression and / or anxiety. Worse still, they may be amongst us, but suffering in silence, because they may appear to be well on the outside.

 

Just 2 days ago, I covered a clinic which I rarely had the chance to. A lady in her mid-50s came into the clinic, crying non-stop. She was having sharp and severe chest pains and she thought she was suffering from a heart attack. She also had other typical fight or flight symptoms, such as gastric pain, diarrhoea, cold sweats. She has been losing sleep as well. Thankfully, her ECG turned out to be entirely normal. While we are thankful that it’s not the body that is unwell, we also worry this is a way harder problem of the mind to manage. This is a classic case of a panic attack, which often, comes hand in hand with depression. Fortunately, at this point, she has no thoughts of self-harm and has a supportive family. It seems that the biggest trigger of her panic attack, stems from the stresses at work. She has high expectations for herself at work, devoting herself into delivering the best. However, to her, it seems that she is not meeting those expectations and has low self-esteem and low self-worth. She has forgotten that, she also has to first care for herself, before she can take care of anything else in life. During her visit at the clinic that day, I’ve offered to call her family to come pick her up. She declined because she not what her family to worry.

 

This is a typical real-life example of how depression and anxiety look like. Uncontrollable crying, feeling physical signs and symptoms of pain, unable to sleep, low self-worth. And given that depression and anxiety is not uncommon, it is our duty as a human being to watch out for our loved ones if they display any symptoms that is suspicious of depression or anxiety. An easy way to remember the symptoms is using the acronym “SIG E CAPS”:

  • Sleep disturbances

  • Interest decreased (anhedonia)

  • Guilt and/or feelings of worthlessness

  • Energy decreased

  • Concentration problems

  • Appetite/weight changes

  • Psychomotor agitation or retardation

  • Suicidal ideation


Even if you don’t remember what they mean, the easy ones to look out for are frequent crying, loss of interest, appetite. Even though sometimes they may look fine on the surface, deep down they are not. Hence, only a close one can detect these symptoms early. Hopefully by reaching out to them frequently may help early detection of any mental health problems, seeking help early to alter the trajectory of this mental health illness.

 

While reaching out, remind them, and of course yourself, that self-care is very important. Before you can take care of your family members, your friends, your work and your other aspects of life, you have to first take care of yourself. Your cup must be full, before you can share your water. There’s nothing to share from an empty cup. At your me-time, don’t feel guilty about it. This is a necessity, like how you need to take a shower, brush your teeth. Do anything you like. Pick up a paint brush, go for a run, hit the gym, go for a dance, watch Netflix. Nonetheless, it takes discipline to schedule some me-time into our lives to maintain some sanity in this crazy world. But don’t skip it.

 

I’m not an expert in mental health illness, but it does not take an expert to help someone in need. If you spot someone who needs help, there are many avenues to seek help. You can refer to any of the following:

- Samaritans 1800-221 4444

- Mental Health Crisis 6389 2222

 

Hope this post may help someone today.

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