Depression is a word that is often bandied about lightly in everyday conversation. But for those who suffer from it the reality is far grimmer, with devastating consequences, and more often than not, there is no conversation and no light at the end of the tunnel.
While it could be argued that depression is ‘everyman’s’ disease, why the focus on African men specifically? Thembela explains: “Growing up in a black household, in the rural Eastern Cape, the concept of mental health was not a ‘thing’. We did not know about issues such as depression, anxiety or other disorders, and when a person acted out of place, aside from what is considered ‘normal’, they were dismissed as being crazy or were told to ‘man up’. Alcoholism was rife, and looking back,…
