Nicholas Patrick - Beyond the Label - Mental Health Ambassador

Nicholas lived with depression for 12 years. He experienced suicidal thoughts in 2011. By then, he has had signs of depression for about six years, but had left it untreated. It was an email encouraging people to seek help for mental illness that saved Nicholas from his lowest point in life. He then decided to seek professional help.

In his years with depression, Nicolas learnt many lessons through various encounters with people. He realised that society associated mental illness with mental weakness. He learnt that people might choose to stay away but one should never isolate themselves because of their medical condition. He also learnt how to pursue happiness while living with depression.

After overcoming depression in 2017, Nicholas created Ekho Academy, an online learning portal to provide support, share tips and stories of hope and recovery. In an article on Ekho Academy, Nicholas shared to “take a listening approach rather than a solution approach” when approaching loved ones with depression.

Learn more about how we tackle mental health stigma through the Beyond the Label movement.

Read more about the personal journey of our Beyond the Label campaign ambassadors.