Something that I noticed in Imperial is that depressed people tend to be quite evasive regarding their issues and are reluctant to admit they’re in trouble. In particular, people don’t want others to pity them and that contributes to the idea that depression is ‘taboo’.

The truth is, from what I’ve seen, a lot of Imperial students suffer from it; what matters is how you handle it. People are often more than willing to help you, they do have similar feelings and can give you mental support if you need it. So don’t be afraid to voice out if you need help!

Sometimes, when you do open up to someone else, they might not take it seriously as they don’t see the depth of how affected you are by it due to the mask that you put on daily, and the fact that you seem so ‘normal’. If you don’t feel comfortable talking with friends who may not know how to respond, Imperial health services do offer good professional counseling to those who need it.

I think Malaysian scholars, in particular, have very high expectations of themselves and being at a top university doesn’t really help matters! Here you’re surrounded by top-tier talent from all around the world, so if you fail at anything it hits you really hard.

I’d say to always prepare yourself for failure; things don’t always turn out the way you want them to and that’s alright, you shouldn’t beat yourself up over it. Learn and salvage as much as possible from your mistake. Don’t dwell on it, work on it.