SINGER, actress, radio presenter and TV host Dina Nadzir says she had lost some friends amid her battle with mild depression.
The 39-year-old artiste, whose full name is Faradina Mohd Nadzir, noticed this when a close friend began distancing herself, claiming that Dina had started to feel sorry for herself and often expressed her problems.
This made the 'Malaysian Idol Season 1' runner-up realise who her real friends are in difficult times.
"I lost some friends because they didn't understand. They were upset.
"When I called, they asked why I kept texting and calling them every day to the extent that they didn't want to answer. Some told me to just get professional help," she said in a news report.
Dina said her depressive state began last year when she would cry for no reason.
"I also didn't want to go to work. After that, nothing happened and I was fine.
"In March, it happened again. I am still recovering. I still feel sad and lonely and experience grief but every time it happens, I contact the people closest to me."
Dina added that a lack of focus was one of the effects of depression.
"I see something happening before my eyes, but I don't register it. When people talk to me, my mind goes elsewhere."
Her first step in dealing with depression was to change the things she didn't like about herself.
"I started a diet and cut my hair."
Dina has lost 10kg and does various activities with friends, such as hiking and diving.
She plans to release several new singles following a Hari Raya duet with the band Xpose, titled 'Raya Di Rumah Dinda', which has earned more than six million views on YouTube.