‘It was a terrifying feeling’: Actress Rui En battled depression

Ahead of World Mental Health Day on Oct 10, Singaporean actress Rui En shared that she suffered from depression in the first half of 2024.

- Benson Ang Lifestyle Correspondent

In an article in Chinese-language daily Lianhe Zaobao on Oct 8, the 44-year-old recalled sleeping only one to four hours a night during that dark period, which she has since emerged from.

She said: “When I woke up, I would feel hopeless and helpless. It was a terrifying feeling”

Rui En, whose last Mediacorp drama was the Channel 8 series Oppa, Saranghae! (2023), said she started sharing mental health-related content on social media around the end of 2024, such as a video about how some people felt low and lonely around the holiday season.

At the time, she did not state that she had suffered from depression as she felt hesitant to do so.

“I did not want to tell everyone right away. I was a little worried about their reaction,” she said. “I had never shown such a vulnerable side of myself before, so I was not used to it. In the past, I built up a very high wall of protection, and sharing something so private made me feel worried and scared. I felt very naked.”

She detailed to Lianhe Zaobao how several events in the past five years caught her off guard, such as the death of her cat in 2020, her father having a heart attack in 2021, and her leaving her agency Artiste Networks in 2021.

“There were so many ups and downs during that period, and I tried my best to resolve and deal with them, but some things are beyond your control,” she said.