Mr Devanantthan Tamilselvii had just returned from camp during National Service when he heard the devastating news of his close friend’s suicide.
“I dropped my phone upon hearing it. At first, I didn’t believe it but then the messages started flooding in,” he said.
“It was something that could have been prevented, but at that point in time, I guess no one saw the signs. Or they saw them but were not ‘mental-health literate’ enough to provide the necessary support.”
Soon after that moment, Mr Devan, now 32, devoted himself to the issue of mental health among youth. He took up training in suicide prevention and started providing pro-bono suicide support.
“I encouraged friends to pass my number to anyone who they knew was suicidal. People would call me up and I would be a support system for them – a friend who would hold space for them.”
Amid this, he himself was diagnosed with depression and had his own suicidal ideations: “I was going through my own journey of trying to understand where I belonged in the community as a person with a mental health condition.”
A 4am phone conversation with a suicidal youth opened Mr Devan’s eyes to gaps in the mental health support structure in Singapore. The youth cried: “Why aren’t there more people like you… or an agency that caters to mental health in the South Asian community?”
In 2017, together with his then-girlfriend Priyahnisha Noorulla, a psychotherapist who is now his wife, Mr Devan started Mental ACT, a non-profit organization that provides mental health support to the South Asian community in Singapore.
His moving story of how he helped others while battling his own depression will feature in one of three short films – titled Care And Compassion – to be screened at this year’s National Day Parade.
The film highlights stories of ordinary people going above and beyond to serve the community, encasing the Singapore spirit of togetherness.
Among the seven Singaporeans featured in the short film are the Straits Times’ Singaporean of the Year 2023 award winners Ronita Paul, 72, and Geraldine Lee, 66.
In 2011, they founded Arc Children’s Centre, Singapore’s first daycare centre for children battling cancer and other critical illnesses. It was a centre born out of a promise Ms Paul made to a 14-year-old cancer-stricken boy more than 15 years ago.
Ms Paul and Ms Lee had been serving at Assisi Hospice as a nurse and volunteer coordinator respectively when they first met the boy Raphael.
Ms Paul recalls: “He came to the hospice in a lot of pain and anger as his whole world had crashed. He would throw things at nurses.”
Ms Paul herself was confronted with a flying box of tissues when she first met him. Yet, as she got to know the boy and his underlying kindness, they soon became friends.
On his 14th birthday, Ms Paul took him to an adult day centre for people with cancer. He asked Ms Paul: “Why isn’t there a place for children like me?”
“I told him okay, we will do it,” Ms Paul said.
Unfortunately, Raphael died a few months later and the idea lay dormant for many years due to a lack of knowhow.
But with the help of Ms Lee and a few others, Arc Children’s Centre was soon established. Today, the centre caters to 25-40 kids a day.
The children are already excited to see the duo onscreen on National Day. Ms Lee said: “They caught a glimpse of us on the NDP 2024 theme video and came running to us screaming “We saw you!”
Yet, featuring in the short film is about more than just recognition; it is about awareness.
To Mr Devan, it means we are one step closer to a day where Mental ACT “is no longer relevant, because the community is empathetic and knowledgeable”, and where people can get the necessary intervention.
To Ms Paul and Ms Lee, getting the word out means they can impact more children in need.
“There are a lot of people out there who need help in one form or another,” said Ms Paul. “Don’t hesitate to go out to give them a little help.”
