Lee San-san Reveals Her Battle with Panic Disorder
Former Miss Hong Kong Lee San-san (李珊珊) has been in hiding for seven years, and it wasn’t without reason.
The 42-year-old, who made her debut in the industry after winning 1996’s MHK crown, made her first appearance in seven years at the Tung Wah Hospital Group Charity Concert last February. For the past few years, San-san had been going in and out of the hospital, rendering her unable to sustain a long-running career in the entertainment industry.
Today, in a three-minute clip to promote the Mental Health Foundation, San-san finally revealed what she had been suffering from—panic disorder. The Burning Flame <烈火雄心> actress shared her experience in overcoming panic disorder through a series of posters that spelled out her story.
“I am Lee San-san, [and] I have a story to tell,” the posters read. “I was hospitalized in 2017 for a variety of reasons. It was my first time experience such extreme symptoms: fever, diaphoresis, fatigue. I struggled to breathe properly. And then my vision turned black. I literally felt like I was suffocating, like I was hovering between life and death.”
Even after taking a variety of different tests, the doctors still could not determine what San-san had. After months of “hovering between life and death”, San-san was referred to a Dr. Lau, who diagnosed her with panic disorder.
“Fortunately, Dr. Lau taught me that mental health is exactly like catching a cold or flu—there is a cure,” said San-san. “I then shared this with my trusted friends, explained to them what exactly I had. I then did only two things—regular check-ups with the doctor and took my medication. And with the support of friends, I slowly recovered for the better.”
Advocating to erase the stigma on mental illness, San-san encouraged those who suffer from similar experiences to get help as soon as possible. “Mental illness is no different from physical sickness. Find the right doctor and take the right medication. You will be well.”
San-san’s friends including Louis Koo (古天樂), Sammi Cheng (鄭秀文), Laurinda Ho (何超蓮), and Tsui Ga-bo (崔加寶) all made appearances at the end of the video to offer San-san their support. San-san will do a Facebook Live this Sunday to go more in depth of her experience.
Source: On.cc
This article is written by Addy for JayneStars.com.
