She was eloquent and her writing, thought-provoking.
It also showed a troubled mind.
On Aug 11, the first-year junior college student wrote two posts on her blog.
They hinted at her depression.
She wrote of not wanting to "fight" any more and "not minding" if she had to leave.
But none of her friends picked up the clues. Then came the news.
"It was evident that something had happened," a schoolmate from the JC tells The New Paper on Sunday.
"Her closest friends were seen crying."
"It was later that we heard news of her demise as it circulated. It was first given to her closest friends."
The school announced her death during its morning assembly on Aug 16, about four days after the incident.
Six days later, members of the school's track team were told of their teammate's death.
He was a second-year student.
Community, parents, schools work together
On Aug 23, the school sent students for "emergency civics class", and they were reminded by tutors of a support system available to them if they are struggling to cope. Schools work with parents and the community to provide a network of strong social and emotional support that spans the home, school and community, says a Ministry of Education (MOE) spokesman. And there are several layers of support, adds the spokesman:
- As part of the school curriculum, teachers build all students' resilience through the teaching of social emotional skills such as time management, goal-setting, coping with stress and handling expectations.
- Teachers are also taught to identify distressed students and to provide basic counselling support.
- For students who need further support, they will be referred to the school counsellor.
- When necessary, school counsellors will refer them for further assessment and intervention by relevant mental health professionals.
The MOE spokesman also added that the establishment of the Reach (Response, Early Intervention and Assessment in Community Mental Health) programme aims to bring greater accessibility of mental health expertise in assessment, consultation and intervention to schools.
Community mental health teams work directly with schools to assist students with psychological, emotional and behavioural problems including those who are depressed or are at risk of suicide.
The spokesman adds: "Our schools also promote peer support efforts, such as having students encourage peers who may show signs of emotional distress, to seek help from trusted adults."
Helplines
If you are having thoughts of suicide or are in emotional distress, you can get help from:
Samaritans of Singapore (24-hour hotline)
1800-221-4444
Tinkle Friend
1800-2744-788
Singapore Association for Mental Health
1800-283-7019
Care Corner Counselling Centre (in Mandarin)
1800-3535-800
Mental Health Helpline
6389-2222
Aware SOS Helpline
1800-221-4444
This article was first published on September 04, 2016.
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