Postpartum depression is a topic often avoided despite how many mums—and even dads—have suffered through it. As parents, anyone could fall victim to baby blues, and Malaysian actress Yeo Yann Yann recently revealed that she, too, had suffered from postpartum depression.
Postpartum Depression Led Yeo Yann Yann To Suicidal Thoughts
Image Source: Instagram / yeoyannyann
On the latest episode of Mediacorp talkshow Hear U Out, Yeo Yann Yann revealed she moved back to Singapore without her husband, action director Ma Yuk Sing, due to her postpartum depression that got so bad she “wanted to kill herself.”
The actress and her husband moved to Hong Kong after getting married in 2012. Then, even as a newly wed and having just given birth to her daughter at the time, she still fell into a deep depression and struggled since she did not have a support system over there to help her take care of baby Vera.
She opened up to chat show host Quan Yifeng about how she and her husband would fight about things that were not even important and yet she said, “I realised that I needed help when I thought of ending my life after an argument with him.”
“After I calmed down, I asked myself why I wanted to kill myself,” added the award-winning actress. “I should have been very happy because I had a child and my career was going well.”
To cope with her postpartum depression, she decided to return to Singapore in 2013 since she could not seek help from friends or family in Hong Kong.
“I told him that I couldn’t continue living in Hongkong. I had to move back to Singapore, or I’d end up in a fistfight with someone on the streets,” she said on the show.
Due to their separate busy schedules, the couple decided to have a long-distance relationship instead and spent only three months every year together. The actress added, “He’s been working non-stop for the past 30 years. The longest break he’s ever taken was a month-long. I don’t want him to change for me.”
“My husband spends most of his time working overseas, so I’m fully in charge of our daughter’s upbringing,” she also said and shared how because of this, she even drove herself to the hospital to give birth to their baby daughter.
What Helped Her Overcome It
Image Source: Instagram / yeoyannyann
When she got back to Singapore, the actress started consulting with doctors and revealed how she would also use traditional Chinese medicine as well as go on jogs by herself in order to improver her mental state.
She also mentioned in the show how her condition affected their daughter, Vera, and that she was timid when she was younger. This motivated her more to recover from her depression. She continued to say, “She didn’t dare express her thoughts, and I told myself that I had to heal myself if I wanted her to live a good life.”
“After a while, I started to ask my friends for help. I think this is very important. Once I took the first step, I started asking around for recommendations for doctors or for someone to work out with me,” said Yann Yann.
If you or anyone you know is suffering from postpartum depression and may need help with their mental health, you can seek solace from these following support groups and helplines.
Support Groups
- Association for Women for Action and Research (AWARE)
Contact: 1800-777-5555 or email at aware@aware.org.sg
Address: 5 Dover Crescent, #01-22, Singapore 130005
- KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital (KKH) Support Groups
Contact: +65 6394 2205
Address: 100 Bukit Timah Rd, Singapore 229899
- Mindful Mums
Contact: +65 6823 1222 or email at secretary@moremindful.me
Address: Republic Plaza, Level 57, 9 Raffles Place, Singapore 048619
- Singapore Association For Mental Health
Contact: +65 6255 3222 or email at enquiry@samhealth.org.sg
Address: Blk 139 Potong Pasir, Avenue 3, #01-136, Singapore 350139
Helplines
- Care Corner Counselling Centre (Mandarin): 1800 3535 800
- Institute Of Mental Health’s Mobile Crisis Service: 6389 2222
- Samaritans of Singapore: 1800 221 4444
- Silver Ribbon: +65 6386 1928
- Singapore Association For Mental Health: 1800 283 7019
With reports from Nasreen Majid.
Lead image source from Instagram / yeoyannyann.
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