Discussing your mental health can be difficult for anyone, much less the daughter of a public figure. Veteran Hong Kong actor Paul Chun’s daughter Lesley Chiang was initially afraid of opening up about her struggles, “for fear of affecting family members who work in the entertainment industry”.
On a recent episode of Hong Kong-born Canadian actress Grace Chan’s show Love Matters with Grace, Lesley revealed that she had experienced suicidal thoughts thrice due to “emotional injury”.
The 36-year-old was afraid of being labelled as “Paul Chun’s daughter with depression”.
Her dad Paul is an industry giant with over 130 film credits to his name, since his first appearance as a child actor at the age of three back in 1949. His first foray into Hollywood came in 1966 with the epic war movie The Sand Pebbles.
However, after discussing it with friends, she eventually revealed her depression to her dad.
“Fortunately, my father gave me unlimited support,” she said.
To help his daughter, Paul Chun, 77, developed an interest in studying mental health, which gave Lesley the boost of confidence she needed to be open about her struggles.
Lesley, who is based in Vancouver, said: “My father and I participated in activities organised by The LifeLine Canada Foundation to learn about people going through emotional distress.
“His actions inspired me and encouraged me to continue sharing my experiences and stories with others.”
Love Matters with Grace is a talk show centred around intimate, honest heart-to-heart conversations with celebrity guests about love and their experiences with it.
Lesley was on the show to talk about self-love with host Grace, 31, also a Vancouver resident, on a river yacht in their picturesque city.
One way Lesley takes care of herself is through exercise.
“No matter how tired I am after a busy day of work, I insist on going to the gym or exercising at home,” she said.
“The endorphins secreted by the brain not only have a decompressing effect but also make people forget their worries.”
SINGAPORE HELPLINES
- Samaritans of Singapore: 1800-221-4444
- Singapore Association for Mental Health: 1800-283-7019
- Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800-353-5800
- Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline: 6389-2222
- Silver Ribbon: 6386-1928
- Shan You Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 6741-0078
- Fei Yue’s Online Counselling Service: www.eC2.sg
- Tinkle Friend (for primary school children): 1800-2744-788
This article was first published on AsiaOne and republished on theAsianparent with permission.