Here at Mothership.sg, we try to steer away from shining the spotlight on people who seem to have an unhealthy obsession with being talked about.

So some of you, our readers, might not have been keeping up with Amos Yee's recent antics.

Just to bring you up to date on some of his actions so far, the teenager recently released a video discussing how to get out of National Service (NS).

We're not linking to or embedding the video because of the aforementioned reason.

So here's the TL;DW (too long, didn't watch) of what he said:

- One of the "methods" he proposed to get out of serving NS was to pretend you were mentally ill.

- The mental illness of choice he advocated faking is depression.

- He advised against faking bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, because they are "permanent mental illnesses".

This struck a nerve with a Singapore Polytechnic student by the name of Drake Law, who posted this response:

In case you can't see the above post, here's what he wrote:

If you don't realise how damaging Amos Yee's video on escaping national service is to the mental health community, let me explain it to you:

1. By faking a mental condition to get out of NS, you are creating the image that having a mental condition is some form of privilege, that you can use it as a ticket to get out of things you don't enjoy doing. This completely invalidates the suffering of mental health patients who NEED to be excused from certain obligations and activities. People won't see mental conditions as a form of illness, but as excuses. The ones who then need to get help won't get help because they are afraid no one will believe them and will see them as 'fakers'. And you are basically adding to the stigma which is already a big problem.

2. Mental health resources are limited. I know people who have to wait for weeks, sometimes even months before they can make an appointment to see a professional. I don't even know more than 4 places where you can seek help for mental conditions. (I apologise if there are more). By faking a mental illness, you are basically taking up space and getting in the way of the recovery for many people.

3. You are taking advantage of a disease, which is a disgusting thing to do as a human being. There are people who struggle to make it through the day and you are trivialising the entire experience by making it a tool for you to get your way in life. I did not spend all this time and energy on my recovery for you to turn it into some disgusting opportunity.

There are more points that I'm not going to get into, but if you think I am making a big deal out of nothing, try being sick with an illness that most people don't believe in, and then having to wait weeks/months before you can see a professional. And during all of this some random butthead comes in and makes things even harder for you because he wants things to go his way.

I don't even know how to get started on people who say they are 'unstable' and have 'depression' in order to get their partner to stay in a relationship. You people are gross.

Mental conditions are real. They are illnesses and should be treated as such. They are not a pawn for you to get out of situations you don't want to be in. Stop using other people's sufferings to make your life better.

Well said, Drake.

Top image: Screenshot from video

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