To mark World Mental Health Day on Oct 10, AsiaOne shines the spotlight on mental health advocates and looks at how Singaporeans cope with mental health issues in their lives.


Noel Boyd was just eight years old when he made a desperate plea to the universe.

"I prayed to God to take my life away," said the 45-year-old emcee and content creator.

His feelings of helplessness were triggered by bullying, not just from his fellow classmates but also teachers who were abusive towards him, he said.

"I remember asking myself, 'Is this how it's going to be for the rest of my life?'"

Being only one of two non-Chinese pupils in the school, Noel often felt like he didn't fit in. He also didn't have many friends.

Confiding in one teacher about the heavy-handed physical punishment he suffered from another teacher proved to be a mistake.

"It got even worse the next day after the teacher told the other about it. So I was like, 'What the s***?' I trusted that one person."

From that point on, he shared that his trust of adults "went from little to zero".

Related

---