SINGAPORE - When she was growing up, Ms Tey Mei Yan, 46, wondered why she had crying spells and would isolate herself. It was only when marital problems and the stress of caring for her family led to a severe breakdown in 2019 that she resolved to seek psychiatric help.
Being diagnosed with major depression and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) allowed her to make sense of her mental upheavals and to embark on the road to recovery.
Her comeback inspired her to become a peer support specialist, and for the past year, she has been helping others facing mental health conditions to recover.
On Friday, Ms Tey was recognised during the opening speech at the Beyond the Label (BTL) Festival, an annual event to rally community support for people with mental health conditions and to encourage them to seek help.
The festival, which was held at Jewel Changi Airport, was organised by the BTL Collective – a grouping of organisations working to educate and equip the public to support those living with mental health conditions. It was led by the National Council of Social Service and Touch Community Services.
While the BTL Collective focused on promoting mental health awareness and support among young people in the past year, it is starting to hold talks and workshops in the neighbourhood so that more residents can gain knowledge and basic skills to identify people with mental health conditions, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development Eric Chua, who delivered the opening remarks at the festival.
Pilots are currently being rolled out in Punggol West and Bukit Batok East, said Mr Chua at the event, which was also attended by President Halimah Yacob.
“What’s wonderful about this is that with training, everyone in the neighbourhood can be confident in rendering mental health support and care to those around us,” he said, noting that the aim is to reach at least 1,000 individuals per town.
Marketing manager Aidil Arsad said this is key, as identifying a mental health condition is the first step to recovery. The 36-year-old had panic attacks, suicidal thoughts and could not get out of the house for a month after a traumatic incident when he was 28. Being diagnosed with depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder gave him a sense of relief.
“I know now that there is a name for what I’ve been facing and dealing with,” Mr Aidil, who is now an advocate on social media for mental health, told ST at the event. “When I can put a name to it, I can own it and I know how to manage it.”
At the event, Mr Chua thanked President Halimah for championing the cause of mental health during her presidency, such as designating the President’s Challenge to care for the mental health of caregivers and launching a youth mental health programme.
Since it was launched last October, the BTL Collective has educated over 45,000 students and 10,000 people in the community on mental health conditions, how to take care of their mental wellness and to care for those around them.
It will roll out more targeted resources to 10 primary schools in 2024 so that students can learn to manage their mental health from a younger age.
To further engage the community to support those with mental health conditions, a BTL concept train will be launched on the 27-station North-South Line in October. Malls such as Jewel, Westgate and Waterway Point will also be holding BTL roving exhibitions.
Ms Tey, who is now working as a coach, said she is learning to be more patient and less critical with herself, which has made a difference for her family relationships.
Of her healing journey, she said: “Recovery is not a linear process and it’s not an ‘eat medicine, you get well’ kind of thing,” she said.
“It’s a process, which means that as a human being, I will encounter hurts, disappointments, conflicts. But now, I’m not so hung up on them. I’m learning to ride through them.”
