Mental Health

Culture

Grappling with gratitude: How to spice thanks up

In a study now known as “The Gratitude Disposition“, three psychologists divided their participants into three groups with specific tasks: one group was to recordĀ only the positive...

Health

I discovered my Asperger’s only in my 20s

Have you heard of the Autism Spectrum Disorder*?ā€ David, my missions team leader, casually asked me while we were having lunch at Makassar, Indonesia, where we were on a mission trip. ā€œYes, I...

Culture

“I never learned how to turn this exhausting pain into bliss”: The silent struggles of Kim Jonghyun

On late Monday afternoon, the lead singer of popular Korean boy band SHINee, Kim Jonghyun, 27, was found dead in his rental apartment inĀ an upmarket corner of Seoul. From the time he sent his...

Health

Orphaned at 28, I wanted to commit suicide

I experienced my first anxiety attack right after my mum passed away in front of me — from a brain haemorrhage in aĀ Hong Kong hospital. For once in my life, things had actually been going along...

Relationships

I couldn’t move on after my break-up

One month afterĀ the passing of my mother in April 2011, I ended a year-long relationship with my boyfriend. The relationshipĀ had already been on the rocks for months. It was adding to the...

Health

The night my mother was murdered

When I first found the knife, I thought nothing of it.Ā But I did wonder why it wasn’t in its usual place. It had been wiped clean and was lying beside a bottle of vodka and some lighter fluid...

Health

"Our fight is simply to make it to tomorrow": This is what depression looks like

I almost committed suicide in August of 2017. I’d made plans. I’d started to put part of it into action, unbeknown to those closest to me. I have a loving wife, a couple of good kids, and a...

Health

You’re 50 shades of blue, what can I do?

In 2009, I visited a friend in hospital for the “blues”.Ā I was 17 years old and stood at the door clutching a bunch of flowers, not quite comprehending what had just happened. In 2015, I...

Health

Who will save me from myself?

Don’t be silly, only kids half your age do these things. The oldĀ pen knife blade was cold to the touch. In my head, a fierce battle raged. But I deserve this. IĀ fell into the deep, dark and...