KUALA LUMPUR: After seeking medical help from a psychiatric specialist yesterday, singer Haqiem Rusli confirmed that he had been suffering from “moderate depression”.
The 20-year-old artiste who had an hour-long check-up with a doctor said that the depression he experienced was real and not fabricated.
“The doctor confirmed that I was experiencing a moderate depression, which is a step higher than the ‘mild depression’ that I had previously touched on,” he said in a news report yesterday.
Haqiem added that he would have to take prescribed medicine since his condition was a little more severe than what he had initially thought.
“The doctor told me that if left untreated, the depression would worsen and eventually bring negative impact on my life,” he said.
The Tergantung Sepi singer didn’t want to elaborate further on the matter though, as his medical examination was ongoing and he would be seeing the doctor again sometime next week.
On the matter of whether his condition was indeed real, Haqiem said: “I really can’t stop people from saying that I had lied about what I’ve been experiencing. But honestly, I’ve been feeling depressed since the beginning of the year. However, I was stubborn and didn’t want to seek proper treatment.”
“Thank God, I feel relieved now after having gone for the medical examination,” said Haqiem, who is receiving treatment from the International Psychology Centre in Taman Desa.
The singer had a press conference on Thursday to shed light on his recent declaration that he was suffering from bouts of depression, which had led him to consider quitting his music career.
Haqiem, who had just released his latest single Selamat Tinggal Sayang, also apologised to various parties including fellow artistes for causing confusion, speculation and heated debates among artistes and fans due to his actions.
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