Mental health in the home.

I have an aunt who once said "depression & anxiety are white people conditions." Not knowing what they were then I wasn't bothered. Growing up & encountering depression & anxiety in life that statement was a premise on which I wasn't comfortable opening up to anyone. It's not like there ever was a culture of conversing, deep intimate conversations within the family anyways. We sort of figured out to find our way, fall, pick ourselves & keep it moving. Mental health is the level of psychological well-being or an absence of mental health illness. It includes our emotional, psychological & social well-being, affecting how we think, feel & act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices (MentalHealth.gov). Mental health disorders, refers to a wide range of mental health conditions. They are disorders that affect your mood, thinking & behavior such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders & addictive behaviors. Many people have mental health concerns from time to time. A mental health concern becomes a mental illness when ongoing signs & symptoms cause frequent stress & affect your ability to function(Mayo Clinic). I think it's safe to say as Africans we been mental for a while. We just weren't as cognitive about mental health illness as the rest of the world. The socioeconomic conditions of Southern Africa make fortitude a prerequisite for survival. We all have that uncle whose a functional alcoholic or know a friend who has one. Alcohol & drug abuse is also becoming somewhat fashionable among young adults. Behind the cool posts & notoriety are just frail human beings trying to cope with the pressures of life. There is no discourse in the home, at least one that really matters. We are experts in erecting facades & posting smiling pictures when our essence is waning. A friend from church who was well traveled, educated, seemed to be well off than her peers committed suicide. Everyone was stung & shocked, her note stated how she had been battling depression & she could not take it anymore. Should you have the nerve to start the conversation, It's difficult to converse of how depressed & low you are when everyone else is as grey. It's difficult to navigate, especially were our worth is attached to what we have achieved (nothing, chuckles). Like it or not we have been socialized to what success is & our sub-conscience will always hold us to account. African men, raised on the premise of being sentinels that always have it figured out & provide. The prevailing socioeconomic conditions claim many. I saw a report on BBC; suicides in remote Kenya. It was disturbing but declining socioeconomic conditions were noted as the key factor. Yes there is enough awareness on social media platforms but within the confines of the four-walls, we are yet to win the war. What gives this demon its power to torment is the culture of secrecy, individuals suffer in silence. You can be in a room full of people & yet feel so lonely. A little survey among family & friends shows that we are battling mental health issues. Young laureate adults, unemployed wondering if they will ever amount to anything; grey haired parents who had their hopes in their cherubs leading a better life seeing them succumb gradually. We keep feeding off each others grayness, no one however, will dare talk about it. Understandable though. We need to foster environments & relationships that accept vulnerability, fragility & fallibility. We are human after all. We need to learn to be easy with one another. We are all going through a lot. Raise a new generation whose worth isn't attached to their accolades. There is need for family structures were every single member of the family is cognizant of how important their mental health is & how it affects that of the whole family. We feed off each others energy in a family setup.

We need to do more especially in Africa, Southern Africa when it comes to mental health in our homes.

Thank you for coming to my TED talk, till next time mwaaah!

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