In 2010, Mr Daren Lauchengco checked himself into the Institute of Mental Health after hearing voices telling him to kill himself.

The then 42-year-old had also been having mood swings, flying into a rage at times and even banging his head on the wall late at night.

Those were not the first of such instances.

He first experienced depression when he was 16, but due to a lack of awareness in his family about mental health issues at the time, Mr Lauchengco was diagnosed with bipolar disorder only 20 years later, after he sought medical help.

In those two decades, he married Madam Noriytah Sani and had two children with her. Despite his condition worsening, she never blamed him. Instead, she stood by him and explained the situation to their children.

"I'd always say, daddy's like that not because of anybody's fault... it's just something he needs to go through. I wouldn't have become the woman I am today if I hadn't married him," the 50-year-old special education teacher told The Straits Times.

It was his wife's patience and love that supported Mr Lauchengco through some of his darkest times which, while difficult, also drove him to produce works of art.

He is among three artists whose works are featured at the One Of Us exhibition at Temasek Shophouse in Orchard Road.

This is the second year that the exhibition, which features pieces from artists with mental health conditions, is being held.

The other two artists, Ms Faith Wong and Mr Sim Kah Lim, suffered from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia respectively.

Organised by investment company Temasek, the exhibition, which opened yesterday, is free, and will run until Dec 13.

At the opening ceremony yesterday, chairman of the medical board at the Institute of Mental Health, Dr Daniel Fung, noted that stigma and lack of awareness often delay sufferers from seeking treatment.

He said: "Imagine you have heart disease and you don't see a doctor... for four years, can you handle it? And yet, people with mental illness do that, because people don't understand the illness, and they're afraid of being stigmatised."

In Mr Lauchengco's case, his condition gave him the inspiration and drive he needed to produce his art pieces - mostly during the manic phases of his condition. During one such phase, he worked for three days in a row without sleep, producing numerous pieces.

Art also served as a form of therapy for him, helping him cope with the effects of his condition and its treatment.

"Right after I got diagnosed, I told myself I wouldn't just take medication and wallow. So the next best thing I could do was grab hold of my art," he said.

"If I didn't have this condition, I don't think my art would be the pieces you see now."

Hi work also helped him explain his condition to his two sons when they were younger. They are now aged 21 and 26.

He said: "I told (my younger son) that when daddy's sad, there's always this dark cloud hovering over me, and it follows me."

His son then drew a ladder leaning against a cloud, and drew him standing on top of the cloud. This provided a safe way to talk to his sons about his condition without scaring them, he said.

Today, Mr Lauchengco, 51, is medication-free, a far cry from the cocktail of 14 pills he used to take following his diagnosis. Aside from his art, he manages his condition through keeping busy around the house, cooking and doing other chores.

And though his condition relapses at times, he finds motivation from his family to press on.

He said: "I tell myself you got married, you got two kids... why blow it all away? Yes, it's tough, but I tell myself to just take it one day at a time... if tomorrow comes, it comes."