>> Meeting Siu Cheng, most people wouldn't guess
that she has a disability.
It's non-obvious, as is the case for about 70%
of individuals with disabilities.
>> Put a smile on my face, and people are like --
are totally shocked when I tell them, oh, yeah, I do.
I suffer from depression, and they're like no, way.
You don't seem like one.
You don't seem like a person with one.
And I'm like, oh, okay, so I'm supposed to come to work
with a frown on my face dressed like goth?
I'm like, if that was the case,
I think I would've been booted off the job are ready.
I wouldn't be an office manager.
I would be probably just an intern.
>> One of the challenges that Siu faces in work and life
in general is hanging onto her authentic self,
rather than putting a so-called mask.
>> For someone who suffers from depression, I feel like it's
like you're living in your own isolated world in a black box.
No one can see you, and you can't see yourself either.
You know, just keeping emotions in check,
I think that's the hardest part, because when you go to work,
you're supposed to give off this - you're a positive individual
at all times, even if you're having a crappy day at home
or a crappy day in your own personal life.
And that has been probably the hardest thing for me to do.
Is it working for me?
At times, At times.
I say that because it's easier to pretend or play pretend
at work than to let strangers know what's going
on in your life.
But at home, it's like, you know, your family members
or your close friends see the real you.
My son understands and accepted the fact
that I do have depression.
So when I do have my episodes of extremely sad,
and he knows it, he'll come over.
He'll give me a hug.
He'll basically treat it like as
if I was home sick with a cold or flu.
He'll make me soup.
He'll take care of me, and he knows those are the times
that mommy is not capable of holding a regular conversation.
>> One way Sui keeps a balance between work and the rest
of life is by taking time for interaction at lunch.
>> One thing I know, it so far has worked,
is that I've schedule lunch on my own calendar,
and I make sure I stick to it,
and I don't like to eat lunch by myself.
I tend to -- when I eat lunch by myself, I tend to get
into depressing thoughts, and so I start to,
around 12 o'clock noon, I will call all my coworkers.
Hey, are you free?
And I keep on asking until someone says, yes, I'm free.
And I'll say, all right, great, let's go.
You know, I find that if I find at least one person to go with,
I know my day's going to get better.
>> In addition to the emotional and physical challenges
that disability plays in people's lives,
culture can also be a factor.
>> Family-wise, honestly, to tell you,
I don't have a strong family support.
Part of it is that mental health is not discussed
at the family table.
In my particular culture, mental health don't exist.
Or I should say, any type of disability are not discussed.
>> Sui does try to balance work and family responsibilities
by taking at least a little time for herself,
like when she watches television shows, including Criminal Minds.
She also says one day, she would be interested
in getting an animal, which can be sensitive
to people's emotional and physical needs.
>> When I go to my mom's house, we have a family dog,
and she just knows that when I am just having a bad day.
You know, and I don't even know how animals can do that.
You know, like we don't even speak the same language.
Half the time, they don't even do what we're saying, but yet,
they just have a sense to pick up on our emotions,
and I really, really like that.